The sun., 1919-02-09
BY HENRY MCBRIDE.

Galleries in Paris. Without doubt this
event will agitate considerably all the
ateliers on both sides Of the Seine, for
the collection IS not only famous but
advanced" The artists are those
most talked about when artists meet
But at the same time the great, igno-
rant buying public is only as yet but
half aware OF these modern art celebri-
ties, so the prices these sculptures and
paintings will fetch present interesting
problems to those "askers and trip
pers' who fringe the art world and
who are always asking which way7'
when confronted with the fluctuations
OF the market.
From the catalogue. which has just
come over. the following note has been
extracted:
'-The propagandism of Octave Mir
beau in favor of satisfactorily illus
trious--who because of their distinct
originality were exposed to ncompre
htuSlOu IobthiNg 10 piio Va Wv
most attractive aspects of the influ-
ence he exercised upon the ideas OF his
epoch.
His passionate feeling for Monet,
Renolr Cezanne. Pissarro, Van Gogh,
Rodin, Maillol and others more recent
manifested itself in other ways than in
writings and speeches: he collected
their works, and as he knew how to
choose the frankest, most pointed,
most revealing pieces no collection yet
assembled by other amateurs offers
such a typical reflection OF the modern
movement.
He painted sometimes himself in his
hours OF leisure. 1t was to him but
means OF relaxation and no personal
canvases figure in the sale: yet a
such a difficult judge as Claude Monet
looked on them with favor two OF them
are reproduced in the catalogue
being possibly of interest to admirers
OF the great writer now gone.
1.-THE collection formed by Octave
Afirbeau, with its many masterpieces,
Nine. Mirbeau would have loved to
have kept. but recently she conceived
charmingly generous project-to
transform the house of Cheverchement
which Mirbeau had erected in such a
striking environment and where he
wrote his last books into a vacation
house for writer's. painters. srulptors,
musicians, SC, who may be in need.
To assure the working of the plan con-
Sidoy~ahlo omit al G and
this motive the collection that was put
together with so much love Is to be
separated"
Admirable as Is the motive, II does
seem, in truth, pity to dispense
this collection; at least, just now. A
fne collection put together by instinct
and genius is almost more OF a miracle
than the production OF the master
pieces. and always has stimulating
effect upon the community even when
1t Is kept private. Thousands of good
people in Boston feel a pride in the
galleries of Mrs. Jack Gardner. who
have never crossed her portal. but ge,
n more tangible benefit from it because
OF its effect upon the public servants
museum directors and experts who
are permitted to study II. Mrs. Gard
ner, however. with all due respect, IL
not progressive: she lives in the
don't know which. but n remote cen.
fury ago. I don't see any one on this
side OF the water who Is, or at leas
who is openly. progressive. There are
one or two whom l suspect OF it II
private, but they are like the profes
sors and clergymen whom Stepher
Leacock knows. who both smoke ant
drink and for some strange reason d.
not at present care to say so. Their
may not be the same conspiracy o
silence in art as on the drink ques
tion, but there Ia the same hesitanc.
to act.
This is the more strange in that a.
q nation we seem TO respond Will
astonishing quickness to fashion, an
however the savants may laugh a
fashion everybody knows that there
nothing really laughable about fashion
except when It is followed at too grea
a distance from the source. Since W
haven't produced our own, We are sti
obliged to get our modes from Pari.
and so II is laughable perhaps to Sc
that our collectors cannot get an
nearer to the times We live in tina
forty years ago. There Is a house
know OF that does for impressionlsr
what Mrs. Gardner does for the renais
sance, and what Octave Mirbeau di
for the era that ended with the war
but say what you like impressionisI
and the renaissance are no longer nc
tive forces and there Is no one in sc
ciety here that seems to get collector
fun from the new manifestations.
can't say that should like to see III
Mirbeau collection brought over e
bloc That would be too tame a wa
10 get ourselves up to date. I sig
chiefly to think that We must continu
to be provincial, and that there Is r
private collection in town to which II
curing minds can turn for hope ar
guidance upon the problems of the da
And as for the museum director
heavensi There isn't one in the cour
try who yet knows that Van Gogh wa
n man of genius And even MOI
laughable. II you insist upon laughin
80 the attitude of the public art Gu!
todian towards Cezanne. The exper
of this Paris sale. who know the
business well. have placed the fourtee
Cezannes first on the list. Two
them are self portraits OF the usu
direct, unflattering, un-self -consciol
Cezanne kind; one Is landscape VII
the peculiarly agreeable modern quail
ties for which no critic has as y
found an adequate term, and a numb