The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-04-08
GOTHAM IS To Be
WORLD ART CENTER
Artists Declare This Is Posi-
BILE, Although Not Prob
able at Once.

others decide the question. Ca . New
York Be Made the Art Center of the
World?" were told that at any rate
it was already the art center of Am
erica in spite OF the indifference of
New Workers, who were charged with
doing nothing whatever for art.
J. w. Alexander. president of the
National Academy of Design, speak
ing as representative of the Metro
politan Museum of Art, was the first
to make plea for a suitable place
in this city where current works may
be exhibited. He suggested as a site
for such "A building the space between
Forty and Forty-second streets on the
east side of Fifth avenue, opposite
the public library. where he thought
"A building might be erected CORES
ponding architecturally with the IL
brary. This plan was strongly sup
ported by the other speakers.
| Mr.. Alexander said that although
amounts to nothing is changing. it is
still present. He illustrated by tell
ing of dinner at which he was IA
guest and where the women on eth
er side of him turned their backs on
art to listen to a man who was telling
about a play which Mr.. Alexander did
mt like because there was a stage ar
| fist" in it, He broke in to say the
stage artist was perfect gump."
"Ah,' said the popular person who
was the center of attraction, but that
! is where the actor shows his art; all
artists are gumps, you know
This feeling. said Mr.. Alexander. is
the one that art in New York has to
contend with, while art is appreciate ed
more in every other city in the United
/ States.
Yet New York is today in spite of
everything the art center of the cOun-
try" he said. lin spite of the fact that
nothing whatever is done for art in
this city"
Exhibitions in Cities.
Then he told how Minneapolis has
recently raised money to build an eX-
hibition building, and how the city
gave the site. He mentioned Cleve-
land, Seattle, Toledo and other cities
as having buildings for such exhibit
tions and told how pictures by the
great artists abroad came into New
York boxed up. went on to be exhibit
ed in the smaller cities and came back
to New York in boxes again to be
dispersed without New Workers hav-
ing a chance to see them, since there
was no place in which they might be
exhibited.
He said that the illustrators of this
country lead the world and that when
the Society of Illustrators arranged an
exhibition recently it was sent to
! Pittsburg and other cities. but not
shown in New York. Again because
there is no place TO show it.
Mr. Alexander had two suggestion
as to remedy for our lack of place
for exhibitions. One has been al
ready mentioned: the other was to
build on the Sixth avenue side of Bry-
ant park. There on little strip of
ground that slopes in such a way that
no benches are ever placed there he
thought there might be. built against
the hideous monstrosity of the elevat-
ed road a beautiful building that
would give to the square something
of beauty" He suggested that the
scheme of decoration used about the
library might be extended to the rest
of the park. and that in the end New
York might achieve something new
lacking in the city "a, spot that is &C
tually finished"
Charles B. Hubbell, formerly of the
board of education, thought that Mr.
AleXander's dream could not be fully
realized by the contributions of few
rich men, but must come about
through the interest of the masses
Mr. Hubbell then read a letter from
director Edward Robinson. of the
Metropolitan Museum of Art, who had
promised to take part in the discus
sion. but was unable to be present:
Mr. Robinson wrote
"One of the greatest encourage
ments in my work as a museum Off
cial has always been the conviction
that the American people are possess
ed of a strong. healthy and deep seat
ed artistic instinct. If New York
should take the lead in developing
this impulse. as she has taken the lead
in so many of the great movements OF
our country. she must begin at once
and by hearty cooperation between
the artist and the layman. Neither
can succeed without the other. Pub
lie spirit. civic or national pride. must
be the handspring of each. For the
artist the requirement in an unflinch
ing devotion to the principles of pure
beauty. since beauty is the one thing
in art which survives; for the layman
encourag cement TO the artist to do his
best by intelligent public ard private
support; for both, an adherence OF
fads and eccentricities. which are bu,
mud in the source and clog the pro
gress of the stream. If our artists and
our citizens together will cherish
these principles at heart and recog
nize the splendid opportunities that
are already within their grasp. with
the abilities of the one and the indom
liable energies of the other there need
be no doubt that New York will be-
come the great art center of the
world
French Says So. Too.
! Daniel {. French. the sculptor said