The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1918-06-21
STATES NEED OF ART MUSEUM


When this cruel war is over, we
shall again have the leisure to cher
ish our traditions and to promote in
situations for advancing culture and
art.
Kentucky was one of the first art
centers West of the Alleghanies.
Chaumiere, the palatial residence of
Colonel Mead, the first country estate
of wealth and dignity in the territory
now comprising the State of Ken
lucky, contained an art gallery.
Marion Harland tells us that though
small, it contained two portraits by
Sir Joshua Reynolds.
Before Cincinnati was an art CEN
ter, John Grimes, Mathew Jouett and
Chester Harding were painting por-
traits in Lexington, in Paris, at Mich
olasville, that to-day are worth thous-
ands of dollars. Subsequently Cen
eral Price and Oliver Frazier did
work that helped to make standards
for the present day Kentuckians.
Later artists whose names are known
throughout the union appeared upon
our horizon to be eclipsed by Frank
Duveneck, of Covington, KY, who is
colled by Joseph Pennell, the master
of living American painters.
Joel T. Hart, the pioneer sculptor
in realism, lived in Lexington and
dreamed his dreams that were later
so skillfully embodied in marbel as
to live long years after he and his
contemporaries has passed.
However, it is not only the work
of Kentucky's own sons that we
should collect and protect for coming
generations, but it is these and other
pieces of real artistic worth that are
scattered over the State, some of
which are in remote places where the
public never sees them, some OF
which are almost unknown, some of
which are being sold out of the State
Some of these are not appreciated by
| their present owners.
There are portraits byTCheste1
Harding, by General Price, by Sully
by John Grimes, by Mathew Jouet1
and by Benjamin West in Lexington
There are paintings in the State done
by Reubens, Van Dyke, Van Eyke
Eastman johnson, Gilbert Stuart
and by John Trumbell. There arr
three great pieces of Joel T. Hart:
work privately owned in Kentucky
These are all in remote places seldom
seen by any one. Many of these
pieces are valued and would be do
; mated to a collection if we had col
lection properly and safely housed.
Recently Jouett portrait was SOLE
out of Kentucky for a price requir
!, ing five figures for the writing.
know of one portrait by Jouett il
storage, and one by General Price il
house that is closed the create
part of the year. One picture by tn
greatest of these painters is hung ii
, a bedroom on the second floor.
Colonel Durrett's library contain
/ ing the best collection of kentuck
: history was bought by the Univer
sity of Chicago for thirty thousan
dollars. Should we let our art trea!
!, ures go in the same way? Shall w
r sit by and see them go or shall W
preserve them for Kentucky's ow
s children and for the thousands c
e youths who come to us as student
: each year?
Let us keep this need in mind, me-
q ture plans for the accomplishment {
D this desire. Let us, when the war
f ended, provide a suitable house {
! protection for loans that many 10y;
q Kentuckians would gladly make
. (From an address by Miss Carolir
. Berry before the Kentucky FEEDER;
!. ton of Woman's Clubs.)
e Is "a -