ART TREASURES

Evening Star, Issue 21710, 3 May 1934, Page 2

ART TREASURES

OPENING OF BRITISH EXHIBITION KEEN PUBLIC INTEREST DISPLAYED Warm tributes to the public spirit and initiative of Mr P. 11. Sargood in effecting arrangements for the exhibition in New Zealand of the works of celebrated contemporary British artists were paid yesterday afternoon at the opening in the Pioneers’ Hull of the collection of outstanding pictures sent out to the dominion by the .Umpire Art Loan Collections Society. There was a large attendance at the ceremony, Mr P. L. Halsted presiding. Mrs P It. Sargood declared the exhibition open, 'The principal address of the afternoon, that of the Hon. W. Downie Stewart, was given in yesterday's issue. Hi. Excellency the Governor-Gene-ral (Lord Bledisloe) sent the following message to Mr Sargood:—“it is a source of very genuine regret to me that I cannot accept your tempting invitation to open the first exhibition of the Empire Art Loan Collection Society at Dunedin, hew requests have had so great an attraction for me. But old-standing engagements in the Auckland province prevent my visiting the South island just now. At this stage in the development of the dominion 1 can imagine no project more salutary or usefully fertile in its ultimate con-' sequence than your patriotic project, now reaching fruition, of organising ancl bringing to this country a collection of really good pictures of eminent British artists from the time of Whistler to the present day. The pursuit of the fine arts may hardly be deemed to have yet had a serious beginning in this country, so abundantly endowed by Nature with all that is beautiful and inspiring, and there has been a real danger among our young people of their craving for artistic expression finding utterance in false or distorted conceptions of aesthetic beauty, and in adherence to transient canons of art founded upon unreal sentiment or a cramped outlook upon life and its ideals and pcssibilities. This danger is due in no small measure to the almost entire lack in this dominion of pictures and statuary of outstanding technical excellence and admitted inspirational genius such as the fortunate residents in the Old World have the immense advantage of viewing in the numerous historic galleries which surround them, and of deriving therefrom untold profit, spiritual, moral, and technical. Your enlightened enterprise goes far to remove this serious handicap and to lay the foundations of a new era of definite and active cultural progress for which this dominion is now ripe. The scheme has my entire sympathy and enthusiastic support, and I trust that your neighbours in .Dunedin will show their appreciation of your neal in promoting it by attending in large numbers the first exhibition of the Empire Art Loan Collection.” 1 Mr Halsted r-ad the following letter from Mr Malcolm MacDonald, son of the British Premier, and Secretary of State for the Dominions, to Mr C. 11. Chismau, a director of the society;— “ This is just a note to wish you, and the pictures that are accompanying you, every success during your tour in New Zealand and Australia. All of us who have followed the fortunes of the excellent collection of pictures so far are delighted that at iast you have succeeded in getting launched on the ocean, and that the exhibitions of the pictures are now actually to take place. The fact that so many private owners have lent valuable pictures for this occasion shows how anxious people in this country are to share the pleasure of appreciating such treasures with the peoples of the dominions.” . Miss Ellen Melville, chairwoman of the Auckland Public Art Gallery Committee, telegraphed: “ On the occasion of the opening in your city of the first exhibition of British art organised by the Empire Loan Collection Society, the Auckland Committee desires to convey to Mr P. R. Sargood an expression of its cordial congratulations on the fruition of his work towards the establishment of a scheme whereby important works of art from overseas will be made available for loan to the dominion of New Zea.lfl.nd, With best wishes for a most successful exhibition.” _ | . Before calling ,on Mrs Sargood to open the exhibition, Mr .Halsted sflid that it gave him great pleasure, on behalf of the Council of the Art Gallery Society, to acknowledge its debt, ancl also tliat of the whole community, to Mr Sargood, to-whose enthusiasm the inception of the Empire Art Loan Collection Society was due, and whose work on this side of the world had so ably seconded that of the committee in London. (Applause.) Mr Halsted then presented Mrs Sargood with a souvenir programme of the exhibition, the forerunner, he hoped, of many more. (Applause.) He also paid a tribute to Mr Chisman, who, he said, had come out to the dominion at his own expense to effect a very pleasurable personal contact. (Applause.) Mrs Sargood then formally declared the exhibition open, and the large crowd moved round to inspect, with the closest interest, the pictures displayed.