UNEDIN ART GALLERY

Otago Witness, Issue 3869, 8 May 1928, Page 14

UNEDIN ART GALLERY

MEETING Ur COUNCIL. VALUABLE ADDITIONS TO COLLECTION. A meeting of the council of the DunJ'Jin Public Art Gallery Society was held on Wednesday afternoon. There were present:—Mr J. Loudon (president), Sir John Roberts, Sir George Fenwick, Sir Lindo Ferguson, Sir William Sim, Messrs D. E. Theomin, J. B. Shacklock, R S Blqfk, E. Price, R. Hudson, E. I. flalBted, R. 11. Neilson, ind Mrs Reynolds. Before the business was commenced the president extended a cordial welcome to Sir Lindo Ferguson and Mr Theomin on their return from the Homeland. On behah of the council Mr Loudon expressed the hope that their trip had been a pleasant one, and conveyed to them the thanks of the council for their great generosity, not only to the society, but to the citi eens generally. The gift to the society by Sir Lindo Ferguson consisted of that handsome picture, “ ’Twixt Night and Day,” by Sir W. Llewellyn, R.A.. and Mr Theomin’s gift war a beautiful group of statuary, “The Wrestlers.” Both these works of art now adorned the gallery.

Sir Lindo Ferguson and Mr Theomin acknowledged the welcome of the president and the council, and said that anyGdng they had done for the society had

been a source of great pleasure to them. The President reported that satisfactory arrangements had been made with the Early Settlers’ Association for the use of the hall for the annual exhibition to be held in November. He also reported that Mr Hackett, the sub-tenant of the hall, had generously waived his claim to Suable the Early Settlers’ Association to meet the society. A letter was received from Mr Norman G. Clark, of Melbourne, in which he stated that he was presenting to the gallery a Minton turquoise blue vase, by Mussill. The gift was gratefully received, and an acknowledgment is to be forwarded to Mr Clark. Another gift was received from Captain E. B. Woollett, of the Royal West Kent Regiment, of a very choice tea set and tray of Royal Prussian ware. ISSO. The donor, in his covering letter, stated that he was cheerfully carrying into effect « suggestion made to him by Mr D. E Theomin when the latter was on a visit to Cliftonville (Margate), and he had pleasure in asking the trustees of the Dunedin Society to accept the gift from the firm of Charles Woollett and Son and another. The tea set and tray were purchased by the Woollett firm from the collection of the late Dr Rowe, a wellknown art collector, of Margate. Captain Woollett explained that he bad adopted Mr Theomin’s suggestion all the more cheerfully because it was his good fortune to serve in the trenches alongside the New Zealand troops on Gallipoli and

in Palestine, when he greatly admired the men from the Dominion. The soldiers were indeed a great credit to New Zealand.

The substance of a letter received from Mr A. Latham, of Gore, a working artist member of the society of many years’ standing, was that owing to yie amalgamation of the Publie Art Gallery Society and the Otago Art Society, the interests of the latte? body were likely to be evershadowed. —The President explained that the council of the united body at present comprised 16 members, of which only one member was an artist member. —lt was felt by a number of those present that the artist members should have greater representation ou the council, and after some- discussion it was resolved that the president and the secretary submit a minute to the next meeting giving their ideas of the best method to be adopted to meet the position. With regard to further purchases under the Smoaton bequest, the opinion was expressed by members of the council that a wise policy to pursue would be to funds until the exhibition to be held in Sydney in 1931-32, when it was hoped to acquire a number of good ”--'rks. This was following the policy adopted prior to Die Exhibition held in Dunedin in 1925-26. That policy hat fully justified the procedure.

A long list of donated works of art, in the shape of pictures and old china, was submitted by the secretary. The latter was instructed to write thanking the

donors, and it was decided that a detailed list of the gifts be recorded in the minutes. In the course of the meeting, during reference to the gallery and the necessity for effecting certain repairs to the roof of the building, leveral members of the council took occasion to remark on the splendid accommodation the gallery provides for the valuable collection of pictures the council has got together,- and the effective way that the pictures are now displayed in the various rooms of the gallery. r Sir Lindo Ferguson spoke in warm terms of the fine asset the city now has in its Art Gallery building and collection. He said that it was very interesting to come back and examine the collection again after seeing the collections in most of the large centres at Home and on the Continent. The collection impressed him as being, distinctly, an outstanding one and among all the galleries that he had visited he did not see any one in which the lighting and arrangement of the rooms were better than at Logan Park. The recent growth of the collection indicated that a much greater interest was being taken in it than had formerly been the case, and in the Art Gallery collection, as now arranged, the city possessed an asset of which it should be proud. . Mr Theomin said that after visiting many galleries he was satisfied that, relatively, the Dunedin Art Gallery compared with anything he had seen. This applied particularly to the layout of the building and the way in which the pictures had been hung, so that the full value of each could be brought out to the best advantage. Very often, sufficient importance was not attached to this featurq of a gallery. Of course, he added, there was a percentage of the exhibits that could be done without, but it was a very small one, and on the whole the gallery and its contents "were a great credit to the city.