New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-02-11
ART COLLECTIONS.
IT. MONSTER MUSEUM OF NETWORK.


Sm: II ia the conviction of many OF our
49,, Intelligent and pa iots citizens, that the time has
,vsa for NeyYOrk provide herself with that recog
ni,ed element Of modern civilization ana that essenca'
reaource OF Metropolitan bea Free Pubic Art museum
We owe IL to the Of popular edncatoh 70 INC u'
ot local culture to the dignity and progress Oh
nrosneritv to iuaugurate such an institution o"S 10
-. .,,v IN the civilized world destitute In
this particular There is wealth taste anu PUSH
.ono m, moro than adequate to the establishment"
an ri Museum which would reflect honor on "'o Vy
What we need Is o resort where Arts DeSt po"u'
he freely Inhibited to the public The utity Oh So" nh
enterprise Is selfevfdent .,,. %
Certain considerations render the experiment oouO "
he made signal test OF the sincerity OF 'hose "no
long advocated the plan The public were never peIoro
90 wen fitted 10 estimate the aesthetic value o A'
tions within the past few years, some Oh Inc "''
mens OF modern art have become FAMILIAR 10 o"i Pl
Our own artists have enlarged the sphere OF Io' Au
.nce and picture exhibitions have become neces"ai'
pleasure Moro Americans, especially New-forkers'
have visited Europe during the last decade thsh uus
thirty previous years these travellers have eaheu
to appreciate the ministry Of Art to Society," anu 'e
need of its influence at home.
The war in Europe thrown very desirable works OF
art upon the market The amenities OF national ihte
course have led the offer Of copies and casts OF the
eA,1s dgucres OF antiquity advantageous terms
Many OF our citizens have expressed their intention W
present or bequeath their own COLLECTIONS pro'ue"
cafe accessible, and rightly regulated institution II
founded 10 receive and conserve them. All that Il
wanted is an organization which should command 'he
respect and confidence Of the public This the Metro
poltan Museum " Art provides member OF TINS as
ISOLATION who happened to be In Europe AT the
OF the Franco Pru3sian war took advantage OF rare
opportunity which the exgences OF the conflict onered
TO purchase a collection OF paintings containing many
erarnpes of the old masters heretofore unobtalnaoe III
authorization OF the needs OF the proposed museum,
Many gentlemen have already subscribed largely, ana
the corporators " in few days, call upon their feioW'
citizens for further subscriptions TO the fund TOT ed
fishing the undertaking. 1t ia to be hoped mat thy WIZ
meet with prompt liberality such as has attehoeo ~
enterprise In Boston.
Museum OF Art, worthy of the name, should anoru
nermanent pleasure and instruction to residents IL VIII
draw strangers the city IL might oven raise the stfh
ard OF municipal TASTE. and possibly lh'late po'"i
reform. Somewhat OF the charm that Forever m'esVe
| Rome and Florence may thus he brought among us
Every large city in Europe owes more or less OF l Po
eress aud prosperity and much OF is present atrc-
tiyeness 70 the possession Of such institution Shall
New-York hesitate for herself such privilege
About $4,000 have been subscribed by the trustees
s2OoOOo more will be needed before she building can DO
| erected. 1--WE
| Ne,c- York Jan Is, 1871.
I'm an act tncorporate "The Metropolitan Museum Of
Art" passed April 49, 1870, the following persons are
named corporators John Taylor Johnston, william
Cullen Bryant John A. Dix, George W. GURUS william
| II. Aspinwa. Christian L. Detmold, Andrew H. Green
william j. Hoppn, John F. Kensett Edwin ID. Morgan,
Howard Potter, Henry G. Stebbns william T. Bodgett,
g. l.. NJ BARLOW George f. Comfort, Joseph II. Choate,
| Frederick f. Church. Robert Gordon, Richard NJ Hunt.
Robert Hoe, IT., Eastman Johnson Frederick Law Ohm
stead George p Putnam, Lucus Tuckerman, j. q. A.
Ward Samuel G. Ward, Theodore Weston, and Russell
sturgis, jrl
LETTER FROM J. j. JARvEs-How AN ART MI
scum SHOULD BIZ EsTABLISHED-sYsTEMA AMI
4 Observation-Disclosures OF THE BUILD
] ING-PLANs OF BOSTON AND NEWBORN
THE FINANCIAL ASPECT.
To the EditOr OF The Tribune.
SIR: We may assume that public sentiment
in America at last the conclusion that Mu
of Art necessary to national culture, FROM the
fact that considerable attention is given to their
tablishm Mt IN the chief cities Of the Union. When one
recalls the general ference to them scarcely year
ago. this is great step onward But with the nereas-
ing public interest confronted by widespread
ignorance TO their true character land purpose. Most
Americans naturally enough associate museums with
chaotic gatherings curioses and monstToses, real
artificial, united TO dramatic entertainments, such a.
Barnum's, richly decorated rooms filled with paint
Dgs and sculpture like those of the Pitt Palace at Flor
the Borghese at Rome, arranged on no definite,
aesthetic, historical plan. Undoubtedly the benet-
cent orignatOrs OF have sufficiently studied
their scope to present in due time complete and
perfect institutions But the Of the people can
be expected 10 possess equal knowledge il may not
be aIniss, at this juncture offer practical sug
gestions what ought to he realized in their neep
zion by those who are expected to profit most by them
TIE PRINCIPLE OF AN ART MUSEUM.
Neither class Of the above named institutions iulfls
the entire intention Of real collection OF art compre
hended by those who appreciate its Importance in edu
eating and retuing nation In pointing out what one
should be to meet this requirement, we shall readily per-
oeve wherein the old establishments crude and i'm
perfect and what is required to avoid their shortcomings
A NJ RI me "A of All
the construction OF which the aesthetic principle pre-
walls the industrial 10 the intent primarily, TO pro-
mote human happiness, and, cOliaterally 10 oy the
mind Let IL be distinctly understood thatthe objective
aim Of Is to delight Culture in Its broadcast
ceptaton, is Its subjective result To the fun
value Of this double function its right sequence, IL Is
indispensable that the contents OF merely
should be genuine and the best attansble pecime
every form OF all but that their arrangement
should yield immediate delight and subsequently
come to know them, TO edify by mparting information
the ideas history facts and progress OF itself
in its varied relations IL other human interests. The
IS it's special the latter its general scope In or
der TO obtain these results untrammeed by other lin-
ences IL is eIpcdent TO exclude every object in which
beauty, defined by the law OF aesthetics Is not fun
damenal quality am, and this Is not to be understood
limiting the definition of beauty to any int elect
ual view OF 1t by single but eomprehending
the results of each effort OF every people Of our globe
in the development Of its specific ge sthetc ideal II
would throw out illustrative art designed solely
10 depict naturali history, nke5 Audubon's plates
of birds, and whatever strictly belongs to science,
mechanical industry topography, and the like pursuits
All such works belong 10 museums which regard insrue
ton as their chief fundamental object Guided by this
rule copies Of paintings would be admitted to an art
museum, because being inadequate to represent original
works, they msead taste and judgment in their highest
artistic conceptions But az they afford means OF in
sruction to students they be used to advantage
academies and schools OF design, particularly II made
by artists who comprehend the motives and technical