Evening star., 1923-08-30
The North Window
BY LEILA MECHLHN

| Interest ABROAD III tne WOThS Oh AHleTl-
can artists. The managing directors of
the biennial exhibitions to be held in
Rome and Venice within the next year
have both invited and urged American
participation.
! The Venetian exhibition is long-estab-
lished and is one of the great artistic
events in Europe. 1t is held, as many
know. in tho Public Gardens, and a
majority of the foreign countries have
| their own pavlions exhibiting the works
! of their nationals as units In every
! respect this exhibition is a unique affair.
! IT Is managed by the municipality and
1t is used to draw visitors to Venice.
| Many sales are made. All Venice joins
| in contributing to it's success; the steam
| boat companies, the body corresponding
to our chamber of commerce or board
| of trade, the public utility corporations,
hotel proprietors, all are among the pur
! chasers. 1t pays them; ii pays the city
! II pays the artists. and it is upheld to
| the highest standard. Open in April, it
| continues until early autumn, and on
summer afternoons those who gather to
/ hear the delightful concerts given by
| the city band, one of the most famous
bands in Europe, wander through the
! galleries discussing the works of art.
The attendance is exceedingly large.
An unusual system prevails in regard
to the purchase Of prints. The original
! is not sold, but orders are taken for
duplicate etchngs, Autographs and the
| like. Long strings are attached by
| stout thumb tack or screw, under the
exhibit, and the names of those who
| order are strung thereon. written on
slips of paper or in the form of visiting
| cards Obviously as these increase
| further purchases are encouraged. With
pictures, as with other things. we are
apt to follow in the footsteps Of others,
| and because thing is much desired, 1t
! seems the more desirable.
From this international exhibition
| certain purchases tpaintings) are made
every year for the city's international
collection. and these purchases, it would
! seem. have been made with the utmost
wisdom and discretion, for the collec-
ton is one Of the best in existence, and
to be represented therein is a high and
greatly coveted honor.
= X X
year ago. when the latest of these
biennial exhibitions was held the
United States was practically the only
civilized western nation unrepresented,
and to American travellers this was
| modification and source of great regret.
The difficulty in connection with
| American participation in foreign eX-
| hibitions is the great stumbling block
| of cost. 1t is an expensive business to
send painting abroad and bring 1t
/ back again. Transportation mounts
/ up tremendously, to say nothing of in
| surance, and compare lively few of the
/ artists are able, for the satisfaction of
representation, TO afford the luxury
| There is no existing organization which
| has a fund available for this purpose.
| The Department of Commerce and the
| chambers of commerce of the United
| States concern themselves with social
| ed marketable wares" but art up to
| the present time has not been put in
! this cate CORY. Yet in many respects it
| is of more Importance to have the art
| of America well represented and known
abroad than to have our ordinary man
ufactures marketed, because, say what
| one will, common interests leading to
| friendship are based not on monetary
| interests, but on common ideals. If we
| are TO command the respect of the
world il must be through our achieve
| ments not only in the field of science
and industry, but of art, literature and
music.
| The American Federation of Arts,
| representing the national art interests,
| has appointed committee to take this
matter under consideration and if pos
| sIble arrange through the raising of a
| special fund. for the purpose, for Amer
ican representation at the next biennial
! in Venice.
.s. K X i: Y
! The Roman exhibition comes earlier
| in the year, opening early in November
and continuing until the end of April
| This is second biennial, not one long
! established. but is to be held, like the
| Eenetion exhibition. under the patron
/ age of the municipality and in the
| l'alazzo di Belli Artes. Those in au
| thority have appointed Prof. Frederick
| L. Triebel. sculptor, of New York. who
in aE- n ieyl, ,;ey
/ sioner, and on his recommendation have
named various other distinguished
/ American artists to serve with him as
assistant commissioners in the va
| rious departments-sculptu painting,
| graphic arts, etc.
| Again the question is the matter of
ways and means. Obviously represen-
tation of the right sort in Rome would
be extremely valuable, but il is i'm
portant that such representation should
be fairly complete and should be eX-
/ ceeding well chosen.
X X *
| For some years America has main
tanned an academy of art in Rome
which has won for itself by it's ad-
F., mirable management and worthy ac-
compliShments an enviable standing
! in the esteem of the people of Rome
This. as many know, is not a school.
! but rather, like the PriX de Rome of
France. place where those who have
passed through the preliminary stu
dent stage can work in complete free
dom and. through association and
! travel, profit by AN intimate knOwl-
edge of ancient and modern art to
| be found in the cities and in the gall
leries of Italy and adjacent countries
1t was founded largely through the
! inspiration of the late Charles f. Nc
Kim, architect of some of our no
bleSt modern buildings and a member
/ of the Mcmillan Park Commission.
who drew up the revised Washington
plan. The beneficence of its influence
| has been fully demonstrated by the
successful achievement of such fell
llowship holders as Paul Manship, Carl
Paul Jennewein. Sherry Fry, Ezra
1 Winter Barry Faulkner and others.
Because of the facts of the existence
and the prominence of our American
| Academy in Rome it is the more i'm
portant that any exhibition of Ameri-
can art to be held in Rome shall be
of the highest type of merit.
| x x x X
| American painters, sculptors, archi-
tects, writer's and musicians are in
vited by France to take part in the
l"contests of art" announced in con-
Injection with the eighth Olympaid to
be held in Paris May Is to July 81.
| 1924. This is an innovation and is
an effort on the part of France to en-
phasize the value of achievement in
| Intellectual and artistic fields, as
we'll as in the field of athletics. The
works submitted are to be passed
Iupon by juries of artists and sports
linen, and must in each instance have
sport as a subject. On the juries of
Literature, painting and sculpture
Americans are represented, Mrs. Edith
Wharton being named on the first,
Sargent and Walter Gay on the sec