New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-05
Ground To Be Broken for
100000 Structure Be-
fore Next Summer.
A TALK WITH THE
GIVER ON HIS PLANS
Point of View from Which He
Regards Oriental and
American Art.
BY ROYAL CORTISSOZ.

The art museum which Charles l.
Freer. Of Detroit, projected for the
benefit Of the nation and decided 20 the
Smithsonian Institution in 1905 is pres
emily to take tangible form in Wash
ington. Announcement was made yester-
day that the donor had completed the
necessary financial arrangements, that
the architect, Charles A. Plat, Of this
city, was we'll advanced upon his plans
for the building, and that the erection
of the latter would be begun in the
spring Of 1916. It will take probably
two years to finish the structure and
at least another year to install Mr.
Freer's collection. The work will be
pressed as rapidly as possible, but not
too rapidly for the full realization OF
high ideal. In this great enterprise
the man who invented it aims at moth
ing less than perfection.
He is the more encouraged in his
hope 10 reach that goal for the res'
son that from the beginning the fate'
have been kind to him. When he first
framed his scheme there were, OF
course, many difficulties 10 be encoun-
tered. Among them were the proper
organization of the museum, the choice
Of the right custodians, and, not least
among these problems, the straight
ening out Of the inevitable LOCALITIES
How was the exact function of the
museum TO be secured in perpetuity
II was Characteristic of Mr.. Roose-
Welt, who was in the White House at
the time, TO lend all his sympathy and
energy to the fulfilment Of Mr.. Freer
purpose, and with his aid the collector
dream became an accomplished tact
There remained the question OF q
building. That this would not be avail
able until after the founders death
long seemed settled thing. But again
the gods were good. To the present
writer he explained yesterday how 1t
happened. BY the sale of a block OF
shares in the corporation of Parke
Davis & Co. he suddenly procured the
81 ,O0O, 900 which would serve to put
up the building. At the outset he had
supposed that half that sum would
suffice. But in the interim he has been
adding to his collection until it has
more than doubled in bulk. Greater
space was needed. This transaction,
not previously thought Of, covered the
case as if by magic.
II is casy TO think Of things in terms
of enchantment when MIR. Freer IS talk
ing about his collection and its ueS-
tiny. which is TO say about the purpose
which both have given 10 MS me-.
have known many connolsseurs' put
never one with more romantic ardor
for the subject that has engaged MS
enthusiasm. at is such fun" he says
fun that embraces the Joy OF pursuit
the stern pleasures OF archaeological re-
search, and. above all, the inspiration
of beauty. His collection, as has long
been generally known, is divided into
two parts. one devoted TO Oriental and
the other TO American art. Only for
Mr.. Freer there is no division. AS his
friend Whistler used TO say, art is art
and mathematics is mathematics. All
art, all real art, is an expression OF
the same universal spirit. When we
talked Of Dewing's work-of which he
has nearly twoscore examples-he SAID
that he had found qualities akin to 1t
in the work Of the Chinese Emperor
Hui Tsung, who painted still life and
the figure and landscape in the eleventh
century of the Christian era. And this
led to the story of his initiation into
the fascinating world of Oriental art.
Some time in the late Eighties he WIS.,
tied an exhibition at the Groller Club
where Mr.. Hieromichi Shughio was
showing a few prints by Hokusai: lie
saw in them points Of contact with the
otchings of Whistler, and later talked
the matter over with Shughio as they
examined a collection of the Ameri-
can masters plates. He bought some
Japanese prints then, and they proved
the beginning Of his now extraordinary
Oriental collection. He recalled with
gayety Whistler's reception of the news
of his discovery. "Why I knew the
japanese in 1864" jauntily exclaimed
the artist, and took Freer off at once
TO see a picture he had painted in that
ancient time, a picture into which he
had daintily introduced a print of
Hiroshige's. At this period Of the col
lector's activity the aesthetic motive
prevailed. He bought works Of art be-
cause they were beautiful. He has
never bought them since for any other
reason. But delight has promoted
study, and when the museum at Wash
ington is opened il will be monument
not only TO taste but to scholarship.
The field of Oriental art has been
widely explored, but it still contains
tracts as mysterious as they are vast.
Mr.. Freer showed me a magnificent Jade
sceptre. just within few hours added
TO his treasures. II was borne by some
Chinese monarch who reigned two
thousand years before Christ. What is
its relation TO the tradition Of Chinese
art? What link does il stand for in
/ the history of craftsmanship and of
/ style? These and a thousand other
questions perplex the present genera
tion of experts and will perplex the
next. But in so far as taking pains
will do it, Mr.. Freer intends that the
admin stration Of his museum shall
help 10 extend human knowledge of his
subject. He has learned from expert
! ence how tangled are the artistic prob
lens OF the East. Not fair alone, but
hard study must he given TO them be-
fore the collector may hope 10 know
what is worth while in his special
sphere. And in this sphere the riddles
are sometimes maddeningly hard TO
read. There are paintings which can
not be identified as TO authorship or
period by ordinary processes. II light
is ever 10 be thrown upon their origin
the student must analyze pigment, fer
ret out the secrets or manipulation. get
literally under the skin OF the given
masterpiece, and explain it. so to say,
from within. At the Freer museum
there will be the materials for such
research, and. into the bargain. Pc
culiarly stimulating facilities.
Mr.. Plstt's design for the building
beautiful in the simple distinction OF
It's style, ia also a model Of sound plan
ming. There will be only two floors
on the FIRST the administrative Offices
lecture hall, store rooms and study
roomB will be concentrated. upstairs
the galleries are distributed, and de.