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The necessary alterations were completed early in November, and as the annual exhibition of the New Zealand Academy had been postponed through lack of a gallery, it was agreed that the new gallery should be opened with the Academy's annual exhibition. The opening took place on 20th November 1942. Exhibitions Exhibitions of art collections from overseas, which have been a feature of past years, have had to be discontinued temporarily. After the close of the Academy exhibition, the gallery was rchung with some of the works belonging to the National Collection and a new collection of fifty reproductions, not shown previously, which were purchased in England with Carnegie Trust funds. Carnegie Grant for Reproductions Previous annual reports have given full details regarding the grant of £2,000 made by the Carnegie Corporation of New York for the purchase of facsimile reproductions of pictures to be used for art education in New Zealand. The number of prints in the collection, which is housed at the National Gallery and which is made available on loan to other centres throughout New Zealand, is 445. A further selection has been ordered from England ; the balance of a little over £100 will probably be used to purchase a selection of prints from the United States of America to complete the collection. In terms of the agreement, £100 was made available to each of the other three main centres — Auckland, Christchurch, and Dunedin. One shipment of reproductions has been purchased by each of these centres, and a further order has been placed to expend the balance of their grants. Owing to the disorganization consequent upon its move to new premises and to other difficulties due to the war, it has not been possible for the Committee to carry out its programme for the full use and distribution of the main collection of reproductions. The Committee expects to be able to increase its activities in this direction in the coming year. National Collection Reference was made in last year's annual report to the steps taken to safeguard the pictures belonging to the National Collection from damage resulting from possible enemy action. Most of the National Collection pictures are stored away from Wellington for greater safety. A small collection has been kept in Wellington for exhibition purposes. Official War Pictures, 1914-18 The collection of pictures by official war artists of the Great War 1914-18, which was in the charge of the Dominion Museum authorities' after the war, was taken over by the National Gallery some time after the new building was erected. These works were in bad condition when taken over and were examined and cleaned, where possible, before being stored. Renewal of the mounts and frames will be required before they can be shown. It has been possible to have a selection of one hundred of these remounted and refrained, and they will be exhibited in the near future. Acquisitions The Committee has no endowment available at present for purchasing pictures. The Gallery will benefit later on from the Sir Harold Beauchamp Endowment Fund (now £14,541), the interest on which will be available for the purchase of pictures when it reaches £15,000 (under the late Sir Harold Beauchamp's will a further fund of £5,000 for a like purpose will be available in five years' time); the Ellen Ernes Collection Fund, estimated to realize £20,000 ; and the Thomas Lindsay Buick Bequest, estimated to realize over £10,000. Annual grants made by the Board of Governors of the Thomas George Macarthy Trust in recent years have enabled the Committee to add to its collection by purchases. The following is the list of pictures acquired during the year : —• " Phantasy " (oil painting), by the late A. H. O'Keeffe. Purchased by the Committee. " Drawing of the late Sir Julius Vogel" (pen drawing), by Phil Mav. Presented by C. A. Jeffery, Esq. " Portrait of the late William Sefton Moorhousc" (oil painting), by W. A. Bowring. Presented by Mrs. M. Adams, Silverstream. " Riverside, Autumn" (water-colour), by Margaret O. Stoddart. Presented by D. A. Ewen, Esq., M.B.E. " Otira Scene " (water-colour), by Alfred Walsh. Bequeathed by the late John Campbell, Esq. " Enchantress " (bronze), by Francis A. Shurrock. Purchased by the Committee. " Two Trees " (oil painting), by W. A. Sutton. Purchased by the Committee. " Still Life " (oil painting), by Rata Lovell-Smith. Purchased by the Committee. The following works presented by the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts " Still Life " (oil painting), by John Tole. " Interior " (oil painting), by A. Elizabeth Kelly, C.B.E. " Coromandel Coast" (oil painting), by Nugent Welch. " Winter Sunshine" (oil painting), by Archibald F. Nicoll. " Towards the Hills" and "The Barge Repairer's Shed " (etchings), by A. H. McLintock. " An Old English Countryman reads the War News " (etching), by H. Linley Richardson, R.B.A. These six pictures were purchased by the Academy with funds donated by Board of Governors of the Thomas George Macarthy Trust. Press The Committee desires to record its thanks and appreciation for the valuable support and publicity given by the press in connection with exhibitions and other activities. D. A. Ewen, Chairman. E. D. Gore, Secretary.

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