SUTER ART GALLERY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 16 February 1942, Page 3

SUTER ART GALLERY

ANNUAL MEETING The annual meeting of the trustees of the Bishop Suter Art Gallery was held last week when there were present Mr C. R. Fell (in the chair,) Miss Tomlinson, Sir Thomas Easterfield, Messrs 11. C. Cock and F. G. Gibbs, lion secretary. Apologies for absence were received from Dr Bett, Messrs Knapp, Duncan and Allen. The annual report was as follows: — During the past year the trustees have been able to effect a number of repairs and improvements to the gallery which have been urgently required for some years but have had to be deferred until sufficient funds had been accumulated. The tiled roof on the south side of the main gallery has been repainted in a more pleasing colour. But the chief improvement has been effected by the conversion of the middle room of the building into an additional gallery. The amount of wall space available has thus been considerably increased and the pictures are less crowded together than they were formerly. In addition- to the two usual exhibitions held by the Suter Art Society, a Centennial Exhibition consisting of a most interesting collection of pictures illustrative of New Zealand Art and also the famous Coronation Picture by Salisbury was shown in the gallery early in February and was visited by exceptionally large numbers of the public. Early in May the gift collection of pictures organised ?>y the New Zealand Society of Artists for patriotic funds was shown, and the trustees took the opportunity of purchasing two of the paintings at a cost of £B2. They were ‘‘Mount Cook” by Duncan Darroch and “June Afternoon, Wellington,” by Marcus King. In spite of the anxious times in which we are now living, all citizens of Nelson would be well repaid b} r a visit to the gallery which contains a really notable collection of paintings now displayed for the first time in a satisfactory manner. j ] The environment of the gallery has j i been greatly improved by the removal < of tine dilapidated fence on the Bridge ] street frontage and the planting of ornamental shrubs and flowers by the director of the City Reserves. The statement of accounts showed that the ordinary revenue derived from interest, rents and subsidy amounted to £9O. To meet the special expenditure £l3O was transferred from the building improvement fund to the general account. On the expenditure side £2l was spent on routine matters such as caretaking and insurance, £3B on repairs to the roof and £74 on repainting the interior. A letter was received from Miss Mildred Catley stating that the relatives of the late Acting-Flight Lieutenant Arthur David Watson (grandson of the late J. T. Catley ) who fell ; in action over Belgium in May, 1940, j wished to present a picture to the gal - ! lery in his memory. This was a wat£r i colour painting by John Moore entitled j Milford Sound. It was resolved to in- | ! form Miss Catley that the painting ; would be accepted with thanks and j would bear a suitable inscription as j suggested.