New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-02-02
ART NEWS AND COMMENTS.
THE WEEK IN ART CIRCLES.
NOTES ON THE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
AGAIy-ARr NEWS ABROAD.

AGMN-ART NEWS ABROAD.
| sRuver,s Day, at tho Academy proved another
illustration Of the popularity of watercolors fes.er
DAYS attendance and sales satisfactory, ana inc
interest IN the exhibition must have been appfco"'o
by those who passed upon and hung the pictures' a
the Others who arranged the decorations. Inc oA
hibtlon opens to the public tomorrow win moS' Gu
couru ng prospects.
u he business Of pictureforgng continues uh-
checked, paintings assigned 10 Dlaz, Corot' ifoyo"
and others of this group may become as COM
mon as chromos twenty-five years ago. IL Is useless
for any one TO deny that forged pictures are eAhiD
| tied and sold in this city. At some OF the saie'
galleries certain is exercised in the acceptance
of pictures and at others everything which may oe
offered seems TO be taken without question. Despite
| care in acceptance pictures doubtful or OBVIOUSLY
spurious have been exhibited In galleries where their
appearance a cause Of surprise The propFie'orS
would probably say that they are not exercising
rigid censorship that they catalogue pictures as thcy
are described by the owners, and that buyers must
trust to their own Judgment. The fallibity OF this
| judgment has been frequently proved FOR sew
| eral years The Tribune has published warnings
regarding forgees but there TO be buyers VINO are
satisfied with forged pictures. Every one Is famiiar
with the picture manufacturing which is done abroad
| In Paris, Belgium and Italy. In Paris there Is an
! exposure now and then and forger appears before
magistrate. Nevertheless the production OF pictures
! by the Barbizon school and others continues Many
amateurs believe, and with much reason, that there
| is a considerable amount OF forging done IN unS
country Stories are told Of the existence OF American
Corot factories but these stories have not been
| verified Perhaps factory" is too ambitious
fern but there are good for believing that
forreries OF the French masters have been produced
I'm this country and that the manipulation OF pictures
is still going on suppose, for example, that buyer
| of pictures acquires study or small work winch
bears some resemblance TO Troyon suppose that lhe
study is unsigned. With Troyon's name added the
| nIct1re NAV bring 81 900 or at a sale. With
ont the name il may not bring 800. There are men
| who would yield to the temptation here as wei
| as in Paris The better known picture dealers Oh
| this city have never taken any organized actloh
against picture forging probably because they are
| unwilling to incur trouble and arouse animosity by
interfering In the affairs of Others Perhaps tney
| reason that IL BUYERS are deceived elsewhere they
will come TO responsible houses But it also possible
that the picture business as whole may be brought
| into reproach. 1t would be most unfortunate IL
the opinion should become general that IL Is unsaie
] IN bny pictures assigned TO the Barbizon school,
| The loss of public confidence is demorahzlng 10 any
! business but such a loss Of confidence Is LOU
remote possibility under present conditions.
In the last year or two there has been an increased
interest In old masters" This has brought several
brilliant examples Of the older schools to this country,
but it is also responsible for the appearance OF pictures
valued chiefly because they bear tile
| marks of age Pictures attributed 10
Rembrandt, Rubens some other master have been
brought out for examination exhibition and there
will nrobably be a revival Of the familiar stories
parding wonderful discoveries Of :" old masters" In
| earrets and cellars. Some Of the pictures are &C
companed by the traditional documentary evidence
| which usually counts for so little. IL Is 10 De
regretted the cataloguing done in the sales gal
lelies is not accurate. These catalogues make
u1ioh off
| founded The catalogue description of picture as
| a Rubens without any suggestion of doubt may de-
ceiye no one but such statements should not be mace
| unless they can be completely verified Under the
present lax system of picture selling 1t Is not u-
| lkly that the "od master' business may Dc
oyerdone in a comparatively short time In fact the
| outlook for the cautious picture buyer who Is not
competent to pass upon intrinsic evidence seems to
| be decidedly gloomy. II he confines himself TO the
pictures of living artists he is reasonably SAFE but
even then he not free from peril since the pictures
of living artists like Rafae and Stevens have been
| forged in Paris, and Belgian painter has employed
| copyists to duplicate his work Perhaps the iueat
conditions will be realized when pictures are ~
names.
The Society Of American Artists has issued circulars
furnishing information regarding the twelfth annual
exhibition which will be held at the Fifth Avenue
Art Galleries The society has been fortunate in Sc
curing an earlier date than formerly. The exMbitioh
will be opened to the public on April % and 1t VIII
be closed on May "a. Vanishing Day will be April
on and there will be press view" on the same day
after 10 o'clock Like the Academy the society abb
| surdly insists upon an afternoon view Inc only
sensible arrangement is for the vanishing 10 be done
the day before and the gallery left free for morning
| press views. II is announced that blank forms Oh
entry may be obtained application to the secretary
Mr.. W. A. Coffin, at No 1873 West FHty
These forms must be filed out and sent to the secre-
hefo Anril
ceived after Thursday, April H. There are twen n.y.
seven members Of the Jury OF sTe Messrs
Alden Weir Ruger Donoho and Ine1a0re h an
American artist Under forty wears Of age will be
| awarded by the vote Of the Jury.
Another interesting exhibition Of prints is promised
by Messrs. Keppel Co.. who viii show COLLECTION oI
Lalannes etchings this week. Meantime the galleries
are unusually we'll filed The American Art Galleries
contain the Barlow collections, which ncmde lew
old masters deserving serious attention as Wen CHA a.
exhibition and sale come next at the Fitth AVehue aL
Mesrs Rqeds na S0 neT Re was
water i'S coIors. Iessrs Reichard Co The
sermon and other paintings by Mr. Carl Mechers and
S Avery IT, exhibits pts wg TSSHP 81 pSaerg tRs
exhibition of Mr.. seymour Hadens collection OF his own
etfn o S sSF 9Sv t6 o Sest sae1 Work
4Tbe Boston Transcript says The bore that
MlIet's Angeus has become, with its innnity OF re-
reductions illustrates the evil of magnifying really
Dctnre 10 be treated as It has been treated-made
rage Of and Baummed around the world as IL
we're some startling thing or unparalleled curiosity
instead Of sober homely little picture Of purely sent
interest It was because It was noe Sna t II
others of j. +. Millets in the first place.
peasant himself entirely sympathetic with peasant
life and at the time painter OF great merits ne
painted such pictures of simple, working peasants
rs nobody before him had painted. To do TINS was
enonGh TO gain for him the admiration of the 1udcious
Admiration passed into enthusiasm; and then that
calamity for such an artist took place the
nrese loudly what they the judcious praisng-no
because they know, but because they want IL 70 OK
| ihought that they know-began to join the chorus
The envy OF the who want to possess great plGt
inst as blind sultan might keen on adding beauties
! 10 his harem, was infamed: Then IL was all ovel
with the proper function Of the homely little An
gelus.' F"
The Sports and Arts Exhibition is the lates
novelty at the Grosvenor Gallery According z