Great Falls daily tribune., 1919-11-28

/ Washington, D. c., Nov. 25.---The late
Charles L. Freer, whose famous collec-
ton Of American and Oriental art is
soon to be housed in a special million
dollar building here as part Of the
national museum, was an art collector
of unusual talent and enterprise, ac-
cording to those who knew the man and
are qualified to judge.
/ The United States has produced many
millionaire collectors of art, but most OF
these have had little in the way of
equipment, except their wealth, for the
task of making an art collection. They
have generally employed experts. to do
all of the searching and the purchasing,
and it is a notorious fact that they have
often been imposed upon.
Mr.. Freer belonged to the much small
| Ter class of collectors who really. know
their subjects, and whose collections ex-
press individuality. He made his for
| tune as a manufacturer in Detroit. lie
was early attracted by Oriental art, and
| Chinese and Japanese paintings, pot
teries and other art objects make up a
! large part of his collection. He also coli
/ lected the works of those American
painters, who, in his opinion, possessed
| the fine sense of color and line when
characterizes the best of Oriental art.
Whistler is the most famous OF the
Americans whose works he collected.
| The most interesting feature OF his
Whistler collection is the famous Pea
cock Room" This is an interior which
was created by Whistler for the London
residence Of the late f. K. Leyland. All
of the decorations, and even the WOOD
that the Peacock room will be repro
duced completely in the new building
! here.
| Mr.. Freer had a passion for genuine
ness. and it is said that there is probably
not another collection anywhere which Is
so free from the spurious. whenever
| he purchased new object or any nm
portance. he would keep 1t before him
for months, sometimes for years, and
would seek the opinions of all available
experts as to whether it was what 1t
| had been represented to be.
Mr.. Freer made many expeditions in
person in search of ancient Oriental
works, and it is said that his experiences
as q collector make a most interesting
and unusual story. He and another col
Iector brought out a collection of anci-
ent potteries which had been discovered
by some Arabs in the Euphrates valley.
The Turkish government was bitterly
opposed to the removal from the couE-
| try of such antiquities, and how the
thing was accomplished remains a mys-
4 -
retary possesses some notes on his ad-
ventures as a collector, and it may be
that book on the subject will some day
be published.
Mr.. Freer's collection, which contains
nearly five thousand pieces, has always
been kept in his residence in Detroit.
Students of Oriental art were usually
| able to obtain access to it. but it was
not available to the general public.
Some years age. Mr.. Freer decided to
present his collection TO the people Of
! the United States in the care of the
Smithsonian institution His original
plan was to give merely the collection,
aud half a million dollars for the cree
ton Of the building. These plans ex-
panded as his interest in the enterprise
grew The building. which is now al
most complete, has cost $1,000, 900. and
it is understood that his bcnnest includes
Q fund for The making of additions 10 the
collection.
| The building is said by experts to be
one of the finest for its purpose in the