MACKELVIE PICTURES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20893, 8 June 1931, Page 10

MACKELVIE PICTURES.

STANDARD NOT lIIGII.

PURCHASE SYSTEM FAULTY.

SCHEME FOR THE FUTURE

AUCKLAND ARTISTS' OPINIONS

A report on the recent additions lo the Mackelvie collection at. the Auckland Art Gallery lias been obtained by the council of Hip Auckland Society of Arts, which appointed a special committee of Auckland artists to consider the acquisitions. The committee was formed with the intention of niaking it representative of Auckland artist \ and three of its members are not members, of the society. The report is signed by Harry Wallace, Richard 0. Gross, A. J. C. Fisher, Arthur C. Hipwell, David J. Payne, YV. JI. Wright, I. G. Eise, I. M. Copcland, Gerald E. Jones, J. Weeks, J. W. Ash, and is as follows: — " Wo, the undersigned committee of artists, in accordance with the request of your council, have duly inspected the recent purchases added to the Mackelvie collection and herewith submit our comment together with suggestions which, in our opinion, wo consider will be helpful with regard to future purchases suitable for a permanent collection. Wider Range Possible. (1) In view of the annual increment to the Mackelvie bequest the Auckland gallery must be considered a wealthy gallery. It would bo possible to purchase a representative work annually of any one or more of the most distinguished contemporary artists of the same standard as are being purchased for the Tate Gallery, London.

" (2) A permanent gallery collection should contain representative works of art representing sculpture, painting, drawing and the graphic arts. Wo would stress tho importance of sculpture and drawings, which are at present practically unrepresented in our gallery. Tho quality of these representative works should bo such that they are of both aesthetic value and educational interest from an historical point of view, portraying the trend of thought through the different schools. This is necessary both in the interests of the layman and the artist. Among contemporary schools unrepresented in the gallery are Russian and other Slavonik schools, French, German, Italian, Spanish, American and Oriental. Works of Noted Artists Wanted. " (3) The Auckland gallery should undoubtedly possess representative works by tho following British artists: —Painters: Augustus John, Orpen, Tonks, Sickert, Wilson Steer, Nicholson, Rothenstein, Ilenry Lamb, Nevinson and others; etchers: Muirhead, Bone, Austin, Hushbury, John, Griggs, D. Y. Cameron, the Nashs; sculptors, Dobson and Epstein. The work of foreign sculptors is of such a high order that the following should be represented:—Rodin, Maillol, Bourdclle, Municr, Mestrovic and Rosandic. Working drawings are essential to a modern gallery and constitute one of the most important sections in the great galleries of tho world. Tho Tate Gallery has rooms full of drawings, which are highly prized by the public as well as artists. " (4) In order to secure tho works of the kind indicated it is necessary to acquire tho services of leading authorities, such, for instance, as the following:— Painting, Sir Charles Holmes, late, director of tho National Gallery; etchings, Lawrenco Binyon, late keeper of the prints department of the British Museum; sculpture,' Maclagan, of tho Victoria and Albert Museum. These are men whose services it would bo possiblo to obtain in this collection. In so far as it may be necessary to secure professional advice in Auckland, it should be obtained from a committee representative of the working artists of tho city. Such a committee would be of value to indicate to the purchasing authority the name of an artist whom it was considered desirable to have represented in the gallery. Ihc experts would bo pleased to receive some indication by the working artists on tho spot. " Number Unnecessarily Large." " The recent purchases do not meet the requirements of the gallery. Quite a number of tho pictures suffer badly by comparison with similar works by tho samo artists and in the same manner in the gallery, which arc admitted to bo of an inferior standard. With the exception of a few works, the painters represented are not of outstanding ability or of tho first rank. Among the artists represented who havo pictures hanging in the Tate Gallery only one of the recent purchases is sufficiently representative of tho artist to qualify for tho Tate Gallery. We instanco " Winter in Switzerland," by Sir John Lavery. Speaking generally, tho examples which havo been purchased in no way approach tho standard of tho best works of these artists. " (5) Wo also think that the number of works purchased is unnecessarily large. Jt is not practicable to secure truly representative works of tho best artists by a method of wholesale purchase; their best work only appears at intervals and is eagerly sought after. Therefore, it is necessary, if we arc to secure examples of their bost work, that wo havo buyers authorised to purchaso as theso works appear." ■