The New York herald., 1921-09-08
ART MUSEUM SILENT
ON MYSTERY CRITICS
information Refused as to
Number Of Protests in Re-
sponse to Circular.

If the anonymous committee which on
Monday issued a protest against the
present exhibition of degenerate mod
ernistic' works in the Metropolitan Mu-
scum OF Art" has had any success in
arousing public sentiment the fact should
be apparent by now. for it asked every
body to send disappearing letters to the
Museum. Whether any considerable
number of letters. or any letters at all,
have been received cannot be learned,
for the Museum apparently does not in
tend to dignity the attack by further
notice.
The director, Edward Robinson, was
asked yesterday il protests against the
exhibit, which the anonymous circular
held to be unworthy of the Mctropoli-
tan Museum" had been coming in since
Tuesday. none at all having come to
hand before that day. The directors
secretary returned the word, Mr.. Rob-
inson says that nothing more Is being
given out
Among artists and students of art in
terest is keen as to the authorship of
the attack-as undoubtedly the authors
intended it to be. Most Of the specula-
ton centred about the name OF one
man who is believed by several persons
to have had hand in preparing the
circular and perhaps to have written the
whole thing himself. One of the au-
thorities in matters relating to art feels
certain that the attitude of the writer
and the style Of phrasing are unmis-
takably that OF the man in question.
This man for years has been stout
defender OF the conservative in painting
ef< AA
modern inrpressionists over the Goals.
THE NEW York HERALD tried to find
him yesterday, but he has been away
from the city all summer his friends
said. and his house is closed.
Hamilton Easter Field, a lender OF
pictures to the exhibition. said ycster-
day that he felt certain the sponsors OF
the circular could not be artists OF inn
portance. else they would have signed
their names. He seemed to have a sus-
pic,on as to who they might be, but he
said he did not care to say more in the
absence of proof.
Robert vonnoh. well known New
York painter who spends the summer
and early autumn at Old Lyme, Conn.
was reached by telephone last night. He
said he could not hazard guess as to
the persons behind the circular. He
said he saw the exhibition when it
opened last spring and found some very
good things in it, and as for the rest.
give the bad artists rope enough ard
they'll hang themselves
There is always debate going on
as to the so-called modernistic works
said Mr.. vonnoh. "Sonie of the hostile
critics appear to misunderstood what the
artists are trying to do. and 1t must be
confessed there Is a great deal OF mis-
understanding among artists the nseives.
Sometimes paintings that were intended
to be merely decorative are criticised as
II the intent were pictorial. You ie-
member the Nude Descending Stair
case in the Armory show several years
ago. There was a great stir bee ause
nobody could see a nude. As a matter
Of fact the painting was merely beau
tiful contrasting OF colors. and as such
was very interesting. In judging the
paintings now at the museum the intent
of the artist must OF course be kept in
mind My personal feeling toward art
Is broad and tolerant"
The Impression the reporter received
was that Mr.. Vonnoh would have sup
pressed neither the exhibition nor the
attack upon 1t. feeling that both might
help to open the public mind and edu-
cate II toward real artistic apprecia ation.