Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-10


IA N been such q great growth of
IM hi interest In art matters as IN
IN MI the United States. During
In Nl 1909 the value of importations
lszazeal of art works into this country
amounted to more than S40,-
100000. Add to this the amount spent
for American art, as well as the COST
of art education, and it is likely that
the United States is paying $100 OOO,OOO
year for the art its people enjoy. or
the $11 100000 which America pays each
year for the study of art $5,000,000
goes to the schools, divided about
equally between elementary and fin
| ishing schools. Another million Is
counted for subscriptions to art maga-
zines and text books. The municipal
tiles of the country spend $4,5OO,OOO a
year for art for popular exhibit. While
the outlay of the cities of the country
is not in keeping with that of Euro
pean art centers. II is believed that the
prospective progress of the coming
decade will put us abreast of the lead
ing cities of that continent In respect
to municipal expenditures for art pur-
poses
j. Pierpont Morgan has become the
greatest buyer of art in America. 1t
is reliably stated that his collection of
pictures, bric-a-brac, antiques, rugs
and other works of art have cost him
at least $30,OO0oO0. 1t Is rumored
abroad that Mr.. Morgan intends to be-
queath all shis collections to the gov
ernment for the creation of a national
gallery that will rival the best in Eu-
rope Napoleon ransacked the world
to make the Louvre what 1t is, and
those who have information as to Mr..
Morgan's intentions believe that he is
ambitious to do as much for the art of
of France. He has agents abroad who
are continuously looking for famous
paintings. He makes 1t rule to pay
for no work of art he buys until after
one year, thus affording himself an
opportunity of being certain that the
purchase is genuine.
Europe does not relish the competi-
tion of Americans in her art centers.
Only recently a petition was taken to
the emperor of Germany begging him
to have all art expectation from that
country prohibited. While Americans
have bought many valuable pieces
from dealers of the fatherland, their
prime source of supply is Paris, where
art fiourishes as nowhere else in the
world. Only recently the Kanns sold
their gallery for s5,00O.OOO. The buyer
was Russian Jew, who got his start
in the world at a blacksmith's anvil.
est source of imported art. Italy rank
ing third and Germany fourth.
1t often happens that paintings and
other works of art of rare merit and
value become lost TO sight in the mu-
tations of time, and when someone re-
discovers them he strikes a piece of
rare good luck for himself and for
the world of art as well. Not long ago
at New York was travelling in Italy
lie was a judge of art and utilized his
spare time in searching for unlisted
masterpieces. In one of the cities he
visited he found a whole collection
of such works. He hastened back to
America, arranged for financial back
ing and hopes to bring them all to this
country.
One of the most remarkable finds
ever made in art circles was when an
American traveller visited a second
hand store in Brussels and bought an
old trunk. When he took ii home he
found beautiful picture nailed to the
lid with coffin tacks. When examined
by experts the piece was pronounced
a genuine Rubens and upon being re-
stored was sold for $4,000 In an
other instance a French citizen bought
canvas for S1.25 at an auction at
Chalons. When he took II home and
cleaned It up he found he had bought
genuine Vatican, valued at $5000
1t had been stored away in rubbish
and was so dust-begrimed that those
in attendance at the auction little
thought they were witnessing the sale
of fine old masterpiece.
Often pictures of struggling artists
are bought by people who are quick
to recognize genius long before it is
heralded In this way pictures may
be bought for a song that later, when
the artist becomes famous, greatly in
crease in value. Not long ago a New
York collector sold lot of pictures
for more than S261,000, which he after
ward confessed did not cost him half
as much. He had merely anticipated
the verdict of the art world on the
paintings of persons who were yet un-
known.
While there are many instances where
men have bought pictures for almost
nothing, which have afterwards proved
Of great value, it is no less true that
they have paid vast sums for works
that were next to worthless. In Eu-