The New York herald., 1921-09-09
VEIN VENTS SCORN
ON VILENESS' IN ART
Landscape Painter Criti-
cises Metropolitan Museum
for Cubist Exhibition.
DEGENERACY SCENTED
Says Clique Makes a Mart of
Unstable Works for Some
q of Its Proteges.
DEGENERACY SCENTED
CONDEMNED BY PENNELL
DR.. Hamilton Traces Relation
of Futurists' Art to Efforts
of His Insane Patients.

Charles Vein. who In the past has
+ levelled many a lance at artists OF
the school rated by him as decadcnt,
yesterday entered the controversy over
the present loan exhibition OF impress
sionist and post-inpress,onist paint
ings at tho Metropolitan Museum OF
( Art.
Mr.. Vein says he did not write the
protesting circular mailed to many
persons in New York few days ago,
! but. although he regrets its anonymity
would be proud to be the author" OF
. It. In the private debate over the cir
cular and the exhibition Mr.. Vein
has been mentioned frequently as the
possible writer Of the sharply worded
document. Some Of the art folks who
! know him well thought they recog
nized both the thought and the man.
ner OF expression. But this notion is
dissipated by his denial.
"On my word, had nothing to do
with the circular" he said yesterday.
Nor have l any certain knowledge Of
its authorship. But I'll bet 800 that
4 COQiQ ndIIle lHe IliaIl WHO Qiu WTlle lC.
Mr.. Vein could not be persuaded 70
give. even in confidence. q hint OF the
identity Of the person he had in mind.
IF it's the man I think II is." he
said. ''he is friend of mine. AS he
fas chosen to send out his views anony-
mously 1t is obvious he prefers to re-
main anonymous. 1t would therefore
be violation of friendship for me to
give his name"
l.
/ man whose recreation is the painting
OF landscapes. He lives in Yonkers and
paints in the open season at Lyme,
Conn. He was for many years MEM
her of the firm OF Hinchman Vein &
90, dry goods commission merchants,
s49 Broadway. He is G3 years old. In
lis middle years he went In for art.
studying, among other places. at the
New York School OF Art and the Art
students League He was president OF
the league from 1911 TO 1915 and of
tre Salmagundi Club in 1914.
zoe of New Tangled IDEAS.
IN his writings Mr.. Vein has slammed
she new tangled ideas at every opportu-
pity. Formerly he was contributor to
the American Art Nous. In one OF his
articles "Geeveeism." he paid his re-
spects TO Greenwich Village. In another
''Oldhatophobia," he vented his scorn
Cor those who would smash the old
art and substitute something new. These
articles appeared unde- his name.
THE New YORK HERALD received ths
following letter from Mr.. Vein yes
terday.
Referring to the controversy In your
columns over the protest against GER
tain 'modernistic' works OF art. think
that the only thing to regret In this
yasterly indictment is Its anonymity,
which the authors justify by the follow
ing sentence: We refrain from signing
this protest only and also to
escape the charge OF merely seeking
notorIety' Eut they have another justi-
fcation for anonymity II they are de-
pendent on art for their livelihood. All
artists except those of ir1pregnabie posi-
tion signing that document would be
marked men, marked for artistic boy
cott by the powerful influences at work.
! should be proud to be the author OF
that document. but write to eliminate this
question of the anonymous which have
done on former occasion. The
anonymous are always accused OF
cowardice. l shall. among other things
DC accused OF seeking notoriety.
Regarding the present exhibition /
indorsc every word in the protest, which
r. not made against the holding Of the
exhibition. but the way In which II Is
presented to the public. !, too approve
OF THE exhibition. but strongly protest
against the manner OF It's presentation
through the propaganda literature fur
nished under the seal OF approval OF the
greatest Institution OF ar n the country.
Lack OF space confines me to citing
single instance:
I'm the handsome catalogue we see
one OF the exhibitors referred TO as the
most prominent artist In the world
This exhibitor. who In the Armory show
OF some years ago was given more
c-ace than any three others combined.
there portrayed women almost invari-
ably with four toes a friend of mine
studied In France with this same most
prominent artist in the world My
friend was painting still life In which
there was a glass jar filed with mus
tard. The most prominent one asked:
Why do you paint Il that color?
My friend replied: What color should
paint 1t, MONSIEUR The great one
answered Red. OF course. red But
why should I paint II red?' And this
piece OF wisdom came forth: why II you
put mustard on your chest. doesn't Il
make II red?' This Is characteristic
OF the mentality or the dishonesty Of
these men. or course no one believes
THESE HDSufQilleS. NO one DfiltNeS All
the vileness that has taken on the cloak
Of art That is one of the things we
are up against.
Protests Against Beauests.
"A brave. high minded LADY shocked
beyond measure by the suicides OF mis-
guided young things in Greenwich vfl-
lare and other deplorabic events de-
nounced these things. The POOR lady
was hooted out OF court by the same
cry Of 'self-appointed reformer' (by the
way. who appoints reformers7). by the
accusation OF vllonesa. narrow minded
ness. maliciousncss, &C. that has greeted
the anonymous Indictment.
II make another accusation againat
the administration OF the museum
protest against the rnisapplication of
the great bequests to the museum.
which are my property. together with
that Of millions of other citizens. ac-
cuse the clique controlling Its policies
OF turning the museum into customer
FOR the unstable work Of their pro-
tcges at the same time giving them the
standing In the art market OF being
represented In the Metropolitan They
ARE turning the benevolent hand OF Mr.
Hearn into nortmain Of evn. being
careful 20 save their face by iustihable
purchaser. Just ns they confuse the
mind OF students and puolic BY exhibit
Ing tho work OF imbeciles. detectives
and aex pcrvcrfa foxether with n,,rh