Evening star., 1923-12-16
Urges Need of Home for Art
In the Nations Capital City
Gallery Commission at Its annual Meeting
Declared for Campaign Throughout
Country to Arouse Interest in Project.

Institution, and the commission that
met here this week, Is composed or
Ave artists. Ave experts and hve pup
lie men interested in fine arts.
They decided that in order to prop
erly present the problem Of a build
ing to house the art and history col.
lections a plan must be prepared
showing what is needed. II Was an
nounced that fund of $4,000 has
been pledged by private subscription
for the preparation OF such plans,
which are to be used in presenting
first to the people OF the country ana
then to Congress this very oennite
and pressing need or the national
government.
Plnn Of Proposed Building.
The protected building would be
planned and built with skyllght gai-
leries and other special details requi-
site for giving the art collections,
and especially the pictures under
glass. a display where reflections
would be avoided.
A committee was appointed to over
see the preparations of these plans
with all possible speed. The com
mfttee consists of James Parmelee'
the Causeway. Klingle road, Wash
chairman; Charles D. Walcott. sec
retary of the Smithsonian fnstitu-
ton. and DR.. Charles Moore, formerly
of Detroit, Mich, chairman of the
commission or FINE AftS.
Daniel Chester French of New
York city. who has been chairman of
the commission, resigned from active
work, and Carl Melchers, of Belmont.
Falmouth, Va, was elected chairman.
James K. Fraser, sculptor. MacDou-
gal alley. New York city, was eiecI-
ed to succeed to the vacancy on tne
commission caused by Mr.: French
retirement The other artists on the
commission are Herbert Adams, I3l
West 11th street. New YORK cAty, Eu-
win H. Blashneld, 40 West ,, 5y1n
street, New York city. and DR.. VIII
liam H. Holmes.
The fve public men interested In
the fine arts who are on the COM
mission are w. K. Bixby. oo6 Cen
tury Building. st. Louis: MO; 3,aotnn Josepa 7,
II; Gest. director snni.t t,an Td 'he cincinnati, CINCINNATI
Ohio; Charles Moore. Detroit, Mlcn.,
chairman Of the commission OF me
arts. Washington. and ch1et OF tns
division of manuscripts, Library oi
ington and Cleveland, and Herosrt L.
Pratt. 26 Broadway. New YORK city.
Experts ON the Commission
The ave experts on the commission
are: John E. Lodge. curator OF tne
Freer Art Gallery, in the Smithsonian
group, the building. costing sl.259' ooo.
and the Freer collection, valued at
more IHan sf,VUVsVVV, ho
Mather, jr., vice chairman OF the
commission, Evelyn place. Prlnce-
ton, n. J.: A. Kingsley Porter, FIN Il
wood. Cambridge. Mass; Ss;aee ERws Rmeks
county. Pa, and Joseph Breck, as
sistant director Of the metropolitan
Museum of Art, New York CITY am an,
curator Of decorative arts, VINO was
elected to fill a vacancy.
Attention was called to the 1aci
that the collection of war portraits
is now on permanent exnlDition II.
the National Gallery, after naVins
been exhibited in twenty-nye cltles
throuehout the country. The last
portrait TO be completed, that OF the
Queen Of the Belgians, was added 10
the collection August 1. 1t was an
nounced that a gallery was pelng
nrepared on the second floor OF the
National Museum for the exhibition
OF the collection of portraits
Considers Museum of Architecture.
The suggestion of certain archi-
tects that a museum Of architecture
he founded in connection with the
Smithsonian Institution was conslo-
cred by the commission. It was de-
cided to recommend to the regents
of the Smith Sonian Institution the
inclusion of a division of historical
architecture in the National Gallery OF
Art The division should seek to es-
tablish standards in architecture.
furniture and landscape architecture
| for the benefit of students and others
! interested in the preservation of the
historic buildings of America.