THE LATE ART EXHIBITION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5632, 4 December 1879, Page 6

THE LATE ART EXHIBITION.

The late Art Exhibition in Auckland was a failure entirely, owing to faults which might j easily liave been remedied. The annual exhibition of pictures in Auckland might be made a source of pleasure to the citizens, and am°ans of cultivating a love of art. We hop° that some of our citizens who take an interest iu art will 803 to it, that the lata failuie is the starting point ot a far better order of things. "A Well-wisher to Art addresses us as follows on the subject : — Now that the Exhibition has closed, and it will be two years before another takes place, I think that the members of the Artist's Society should employ the recess in placing the Society on a better and more vigorous footing. We all know bow the late exhibition was mismanaged ; and how it was so badly placed before (he public, that hardly ten people out of 100 knew of its existence ; and, I trust that the coramittea will take the lesson that it teaches, to heart. It will not do to say to the public, " Here are pictures ! pay your shilling*, and fall " ow "" and worship in the temple of art! but they must use ordinary business axioms and meaus to attract bo'li attention and attendance. At a former exhibition, in the same place, when Mr. Hoyte was secretary, it was brilliantly lighted, tastefully decorated, and well advertised ; and music, conversaziones, speeches, &c., leut additional attractions. The result was, that it was crowded. This one has been badly advertised, and indifferently arrange;!. It began without the slightest formality to attract notice, an! ended ignominiously in the same manner. The two or three dilapidated posters io the doorway, all defiled aud deface bv school chil lien, and a sma'l obscure advertisement in one or two papers, were all the committee thought themselves entitled to do, beyond hanging the pictures. The entrance doorway, * ven, was uot dressed or screened, and the first thing a visitor saw was a dirty, dusty, whitewashed antechamber, with the ticket-taker justmside th 3 door. In a word, the whole affair was depressing and cheerless. .The success, as regards sales, was due entirely to tho public of Auckland, who are beginning to appreciate art: and it was in spite of, and not in consequence of the management. if anythin" was wanted to prove the wisdom of triennial Parliaments, it is the constant proof given by all public bodies tliat a non-infusion of now blood and absence of change invariably conduce to decay. A few years ago the number of members was about 40 aud of honorary members over 100; now, notwithstanding the increase of population, there are only 19 members, aud X do not think there arc a dozen honorary members beyond the vicarious ones crcatcd by the Art Union, ticket holders becoming honorary members for one vear in addition to the chance in the drawing" for prizes. What a contrast between now and then! It is solely and entirely due to tli-! jealous exclusion of all members not committeemen, by a self - clected and effete committee, from all participation whatever in the management of the s-'cie'y. No public body could keep Up its vitality in such a case. Some oven go so far as to say that the present state of affairs has been purposely brought about in order to render easier our affiliation to tho Melbourne Academy of Art, which one or two members of the committee still oppose. Others say that it is because that, out of the seven members of the committee, only tno exhibited at all, and therefore they don't eare a rap whether it was a success or otherwise. lam fir from eudorsing either saying, and believe that the committee have a real wish to foster Art, and it is a pity that they cannot see that the old order of things has given place to the new, and that they must advance with the times or go to the wall. Again, rule 5 of th-dr own laws says, " All members must contribute at least one picture to the regular exhibition." But what do we see ? 1- ive out of the seven members of the committee totally ignore their own law, and do not exhibit at all. Let us hope that the comparative failure of the present exhibition will prove an augnry of better things in the future management of the society, and that it may be no longer managed entirely by a email clique, who are far behind the time 3 in their ideas, and seemingly would rather eacrifice the society altogether than allow any change.