Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-01-26
new YORK LOSES
MORGAN PICTURES
Art Collection, After Brief Pub
lie Exhibition, Will Be
Sold by Son.

NEW YORK, Jan. 26.-Unless the
present intentions of ]. P. Morgan,
son and heir of the late ]. Pierpont
Morgan, are altered, the city of New
York will not receive as a permanent
possession the $50, 0O0,0O0 collection of
paintings, miniatures, porcelains and
other works of art which ]. Pierpont
Morgan had intended, as he stated in
his will, SO to dispose of as to render
them permanent available for the in
struction and pleasure of the Ameri-
can people" Although expressing this
desire, Mr.. Morgan left the collection
to his son, to be disposed of as the
latter might see fit.
The younger Mr.. Morgan, 1t is now
learned, has even considered selling
the more important objects of the col
lection, although some minor articles
may be given to museums. Mr.. Nor
gan, during his recent trip abroad. 1t
lis understood, preached the matter to
art dealers, and several of these in
London, Paris and New York are said
to have made tentative arrangements
to undertake the disposition of the
principal objects at private sale, prob
ably early in 1916, should Mr.. Morgan
finally determine to dispose of the col
lection.
Until that time, at least, the collec-
ton at the Metropolitan Museum of
Art in this city will remain there, In
order that the public may see as
mueh as possible of It. All the objects
have now been set out in the museum,
and the whole collection will probably
be open to the public in three weeks.
A well-known art connoisseur, who
was frequently consulted by the late
j. P. Morgan regarding his famous
collection, and since his death by the
present owner, told a reporter yester-
day that Mr.. Morgan would place the
collection on exhibition at the Metro
politan Museum of Art, but would not
give it to the city.
st is probable that Mr.. Morgan,
he went on to say, will give a part
of it to the museum, including several
statues and fragments of statues from
ancient Greece and Rome and other
countries, but he will keep the greater
and most valuable portion of the COL
lection. The collection has all been
arranged, / understand, at the Metro
politan Museum, and a portion will be
on view, l think, in about three
weeks"
The only expression that has been
obtained from Mr.. Morgan on the sub
ject is the following:
There is nothing sold, or to be sold,
now. / am going to get advice as to
the placing of the various collections,
and | have no statement to make at
the present time. There may be some
things that I will eventually dispose
of, but there is nothing to be done
now When l make up my mind just
what to do | shall go ahead and do 1t.
OF course, the art dealers are anxious
to get hold of lot of things"
Why art dealers should have shown
anxiety to obtain "a lot of things in
the Morgan collection, in view of the
accepted belief that the collection as
a whole was to go to the Metropolitan
Museum, was not explained by Mr..
Morgan, and it would be difficult to
understand that anxiety except upon
the basis of knowledge that Mr.. Nor
gan might be willing to sell.
Delay in making ready for the re-
ception and exhibition of the collec-
ton is perhaps in some measure re-
sponsible for its loss as permanent
possession of the Metropolitan Mu-
scum. On account of the large death
duties in England Mr. Morgan had
removed all his objects of art from
London to New York, and toward the
end of 1912 they were still stored In
their packing cases at the museum
although some of them had then been
in New York for many months.