New-York tribune., 1902-10-14
ART AND THE PUBLIC.

In the current NUMBER or The international
Quarterly" there Is a long and interesting paper
by Mr.. VIII II. Low on National Art in a Ma
tonal Metropolis" The chief point that he
makes is that a large building IS needed as
near the centre Of the city as possible for the
exploitation Of all our artistic interests in one
great exhibition 10 bc held annually This is
the point which was urged not long ago by the
Fine Arts Federation OF New-York in a report
framed by its committee for 4 united tine arts
exhibition building" The merits OF the scheme
and the difficulties in the way OF It's realization
have been touched upon more than once in the
columns OF The Tribune. To-day we wish 10
glance at some Of the general questions raised
by the Introductory paragraphs in Mr.. Lows
paper.
He tells an amusing story about a Westerner
Of ffty-fve. 70 whom, as an art student. ne
rendered some service IN Paris twenty years
ago. This gentleman. having amassed a com
potency. proceeded To- revisit his birthplace I'm
Germany and 10 make tour OF Europe He
knew nothing about art Mr.. Lowe pioted him
around the galleries talking enthusiastically.
we gather he exhibited the treasures OF the
French capital 10 the eager gaze Of his ac-
quaintance. But. though the neophyte seemed
10 be- receptive enough, there came a time when
after a good dinner. ne was moved 10 unbosom
himself. He summed up the situation a. he
saw II in these words: When people get a lit
tile money they 20 in for various things Some
go in for yachts some for pictures and some
FOR horses. As for me- think prefer horses. q"
Mr. Low was a little discouraged then. He is
a little discouraged now. In New-York," he
says. land after a lapse of twenty years. IN
which the city has made giant strides toward
1.-THE eminence Of a metropolis the words Of my
Western visitor return 10 me and beget the
fear that they may yet be true. The nearest
approach 10 a great gathering Of people met
together In a typical social function Is 10 be
found in the annual horse show held In the
Madison Square Garden" We sympathize
with Mr. Low In his dubety II is unquestion-
ably fact that art Is not rs interesting and
as intelligible 10 as many people in the United
States as one would Ike to be able to claim
for the cause. II is doubtful, even If an annual
salon in New-York, in huge building Of its
own would AT once draw the crowds that flock
To the Salon in Paris or to the Royal Academy
In London But let us not expect to make the
American nature over in few years Let Ms
rather congratulate ourselves on the progress
we have already made
Public interest I'm art increases with MS every
year. 1t has been said that more exhibitions
in any city abroad. This is to overstate the
case; hut il is true that the lover Of art in this
city may look az an extraordinary number Of
new pictures in the course of a winter. Tbav
are looked at, too, though not perhaps by tho
multtudes we would like To see streamin, to
the galleries. There are numerous lectures On
art, and they are. on the whole. well attended
More hooks on art are being published than
ever before, and they are being read Norts
of art are bought in large numbers-Ip fact va
nave again and again had occasion 10 commeDt
upon the lavish expenditures Of American col
lectors our architecture has been trans
Formed higher standard of artistic taste il oh
served In household decoration: the pUbIic do
mands II. and we have designers who can MOI
the demand. If there remains a cause for con,
plant II is provided by the rcople who sr.n5
all the money they have for arr On ,vorr,s -,
Client and modern. from abroad. We have no
quarrel with the collectors who bring master
pieces into the country On the contrarv ~,
nave insisted In season and ont Of season, ,,,o,,
the solid benefits thus conferred unor +bo 80
tion' for sooner or later the buIl, OF tbeso Ola
paintings. porcelains and rare Officers % ,r+ o.
rendered accessible 10 every one Rut wa 40
protest that great deal more should he done
than Is done in support Of American ar,
>o""i' wants a collector 20 buy picture
simply because It is the work Of an American
ne greatest mistake made by many OF the
a,.anl ueIenders OF American art lies in their
IhuiscFlmina'e laudation Of it, They pour forth
noous OF atter dinner elOquence about a school
WHICH II we are to believe these perfervid ora.
'ofs' eellI'Ses All Others and has next to nothing
~ Al scores. and even hundreds OF
american pictures remain unsold II is. in scores
and even hundreds OF cases bacausa en-. 80
had pictures. But one does NOT need 20 Drt
patriotism before criticism in order ., e., ,bat
there are hundreds OF American nic,ures in
duoitably fine and vastly superior 10 = great
quantity OF the modern stun brought from