The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-05
AMERICAN ART COLLECTIONS.

n LBERT A MUNGER, a citizen OF Chicago,
\ has recently presented to the Art Institute Of
that city collection OF sxty-three paintings
valued at about 100000 The collection includes
works by such masters as Corot, Gerome, Meisso-
nier, Munkacsy and Bougereau. 1t is a gift with
which Chicago is Justly delighted and OF which other
cities in that section OF the Union are less
envious.
The Cleveland Leader maintains that the reason
Chicago has been so fortunate of late in receiving
gifts of art treasures because she has erected
stately and beautiful building in which to house them
There is much reason to support the conclusion. A
magnificent ediice fails impress the minds of
those who live it, and to awaken interest in
the object to which the building is devoted Out Of
that interest there invariably proceeds desire aid
in the attainment OF the object and the structure thus
serves not only storehouse OF art science,
learning, but incentive toward contributions to
its treasures
In every part of the United States where massive
and durable art galleries have been erected the &C
emulation OF artistic masterpieces has gone forward
at a rapid rate Our advance in all lines OF develop
ment has been SO great that have hardly noted
the extent which we have progressed in that par
tcular branch of culture. The advance has been OBJ
served in Europe, however, for American buyers
have now become sharp competitors in the art
kets of the Old World and it has been forciby I'M
pressed upon European collectors that the United
States is the greatest picture purchasing nation the
globe.
writer in the Nineteenth Century, in discussing
the growth of American art galleries, says the
United States is on the way to become the Louvre
of the nations" and adds: From year to year its
public galleries have been enriched with masterpieces
OF all the modern schools; and by purchase bequest
or gift many valuable and great pictures by the
older Italian Flemish and Spanish have been
added to the already imposing store of national art
wealth In New York pre- enlincntly but also in Bos-
ton Washington Philadelphia, and in other large
cities from New Orleans in the South Chicago in
the North and from Baltimore in the East to San
Francisco in the West there is now so numerous
and in the main so distinguished a congregation of
pictures Of all schools and periods, that the day is
not only at hand but has arrived, when the native
student OF art longer needs go abroad in order
to learn the tidal reach and igh-water mark in this
or that nations achievement in this or that schools
accomplishment in this or that individual painter S
work"
Along with this increase in stores of art treas
ures there comes of course an increased development
Of native artistic talent If attanments in art are
now notable mainly for what we draw from Europe
it will not be long before they will be renowned for
what is produced at home. Every art gallery is an
incentive TO art culture and a school for artists
America is destined to become something more than
"the Louvre OF the nations" She is to be fruitful
mother of master artists and her art schools are to
be as renowned as her galleries.
gprzuzrT-EzzrEza-zErrrs
Senator Pieffer of Kansas has been accused of
abandoning Popuism. but his whiskers are still in
evidence Still it is hard to cling to thing which
has disappeared The most Peffer can reasonably be
expected to do is to cherish the memory of the de-
/ parted.