CANTERBURY SOCIETY OF ARTS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12479, 19 April 1901, Page 3

CANTERBURY SOCIETY OF ARTS.

' .The Canterbury Society of Arts attained its majority yesterday; when' the twen-ty-first annual exhibition was opened in the Art ■.■Gallery.' There ' was an ■.excellent show'of pictures, and-the display is irulte as meritorious, as.previous exhibitions have been." Several notable painters.'in. other centres are widely; represented, the; work of Mr G. E. Butler, of Wellington,' being, in particular, quite a feature of-, the exhibition. Mr G. E. Goldie, of Auckland,, also shows eoine nice, work, but the pictures will be noticed in detail'subsequently.' The exhibition has this year been removed from the .large hall, to the smaCl ■ one adjoining, and there is a consequent material benefit in the light, which, .is much' superior in this department of the gallery. The pictures, with one or two ; exceptions, have been well hung.'. ' The opening, ceremony . last night was a pleasing function. The hall had been' nicely arranged as a drawing-room, and there was a. fair attendance of ladies and gentlemen when the President, the : Hon E. 0: J.-Stevens, rose to formally open the exhibition. He said that he' was pleased to announce that the expectations so confidently expressed last year hadVbeeh fully and that the. Society was now in the happy position of, being free of debt, and being in a fair way of owning the buildings and collection of pictures in the adjacent; room without any liability whatever. When..that was accomplished, as he confidently.expected it would be in a lew months time, the Council .of .the Society intended to devote itself, to, the' good iwork of purchasing pictures" Which would be of value edueatively to the art ■students.'of he' hoped,:. 'have aaisefulf effect in; the co-' lonial art world; Tlie 'Society /had; gone its own way, in the past, despite some, outside criticism, and the resultv of its effortshad justified 1 its action,''and it would-now; confidently look forward to the future, : conscious that it had, done its .best, both. for the province, and, in part, for .the, colony. The .work of most importance in whicli the Society had been :engaged;;duriiig the current year had;been its■.association, with the.excellent Gommittee of, Man-; agemeut of : ■■: tho Jubilee Exhibition, curing' as creditable : ah' exhibition; of;;the ■art work of the "colony" as could : be : col-: lected. The' Executive hid /never. :had.,,a; greater or a purer pleasure .than in giving; their assistance 'in' this matter to 'lbi ■Exhibition Committee, and he could.imiiestly say that their efforts/; had been crowned. by a fair measure of success. People from this part of, the colony, as well as visitors, had' been ■ enabled to ' see' ; ; a:, collectioa , of pictures ! such 1 ' as ; they. could; see ~'Eoxrhere; else ih: the -colony. •' In conclusion, : he;hoped they would consider the exbibitiou an advamce on the previous one, and that their'annual exhibitions would continue to steadily improve' and meet with their cordial approbation. During "the evening musical items were i ftiven by Mrs Wilson, and Misses Freda

Marsden, Tribe and Black. The exhibition will be open daily for two or three weeks, and regular .Entertainments will be organised and announced in conuectioa .1 ' ' rr'> 'J* therewith. -■ -,,.-,-,■ ~ / _