Untitled

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17034, 7 May 1923, Page 3

A piea for the purchase of works by local artist* in preference to imported paintings was made by the pre-si-dent of the Xen- Zealand Academy of Fme Arts (Mr T. S. Weston) in his addi-eas to members at the opening ot the sketch exhibition at Wellington on r'riday. Recently, he said. a number of imported pictures were offered foi sale—paintings that possessed not one tenth of the artistic worth of the poorest exhibit hung on the walls that night. Aet they were eagerly boughs ft t priece that were high in comparison with the prices attached to most or the pictures in the exhibition. Many people did not realise what excellent work wa« turned out by some young local artists, and he trusted the public would recognise that if art was to progress it must he supported “ Art cannot live on air,” he said, “ and if you cannot be an artist then be a patron- -a judicious patron.” An individual who variously was spoken of as ‘'Russian.” the big man,” a nd occasionally bv his name, an almost unpronounceable one beginning with. “Z” and ending apparently with was referred to manv times at a meeting of creditors held at the Auckland offices of the official assignee. Such a “tonguetwister” did the name prove.that finally the official assignee said he would refer to the man as “’ Z.” After a number of the creditors had tried, not too successfully, to pronounce the name they, too, gave it tip as a bad job, and fell back upon “ Z.” At the close of the meeting, reports the “New Zealand Herald,” the official assignee said the name was one that, once seen, n-as hardly likely to be forgotten, which at once elicited the observation from a creditor that the official assignee had himself once or twice forgotten it.