Evening star., 1928-12-05
MELCHERS PICTURE
WINS At CORCORAN
"A Native of Virginia" Given
$500 Special Prize in Pop
uIaf Referendum.

"a Native of Virginia." appealing
portrait of an elderly. countrywoman
Of the Old Dominion, painted by Carl
Meichers, has won the special prize
Of 5000 given by the gallery by reason
of its selection as the popular choice
in the public referendum on all the
pictures in the Eleventh Biennial Ex-
hibition of Contemporary American
Oil Paintings, which opened at the
Corcoran Gallery of Art late in Oc-
tober. The prize was determined By
the votes of visitors during the week
which ended last Sunday. The picture,
which is No. 146 in the exhibit, has
commanded widespread attention and
the award will undoubtedly be as
popular among those unable to go and
cast their ballots as 1t proved among
those who were.
Mr.. Melchers has won second prize
in previous Corcoran biennial He is
considered among the very best of living
American artists.
Seyffert Painting. Second. sss's.'
Z The painting receiving the second
highest number of votes was the self
portrait entitled Myself" by Leopold
Seyffert.s That receiving the. third,
highest number was "Chionodoxa," by
Sergt. Kendall. The votes were widely
scattered according to Corcoran GAL
lery officials, indicating that the ex-l
hibition as a whole offered a wide op-
portunity for selection.
Hung in place of honor, the
Melchers picture shows an old woman
in sunbonhet leaning on grubbing'
hoe. 1t commanded instant favorable
public attention from the very opening
of the exhibition. It has also been
highly and constantly praised by pro-
fessional artists. It's inclusion among
those paintings likely to receive the
popular award could be forecast from
the beginning.
This picture was produced by a man
who is undoubtedly one of the greatest
of American artists and also it is one
of his finest works." said C. Powell
Minnigerode, director of the gallery, in
commenting on the award. ut is un-
questionably' one of the most noted
pictures in the exhibition. There could
scarcely be more convincing evidence
of real discrimination on the part Of
the gallery's visitors"
Carl MeIchers, who makes his home
in New York, was born in Detroit in
1860. He was pupil of the Dussel-
dorf Academy at the age of II and
later studied under Boulanger and
Lefebvre In Paris.
He became an associate member OF
the National Academy of Design in 1904
and was made a national academician
two years later. He Is a member OF the
Paris Society of American Painters.
the Paris Societe National des Beaux
Arts, the London international Society
of Artists, the Munich Secession, the
Royal Academy of Berlin the National
| Institute of Arts and Letters, the New
| Society of Artists and the National
Arts Club, New York.
s Prizes Are Numerous.
His previous prizes and awards are
| numerous, many Of them gained years
since and coming from all over the
world. They include an honorable
mention at the Paris Salon of 1886
a first-class medal at Amsterdam, 1887;
third class medal, Paris Salon, 1888; first
class medal, Munich. 1888; grand prize,
Paris Exposition, 1889; first prize, Art
Institute Of Chicago, 1891; medal OF
delphia Arts Club, 1892; medal OF honor
| Antwerp, 1894; Temple gold medal
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
| 1896; f1rst-class medal, Vienna, 1898;
gold medal. Buffalo Pan-Amerlcan Ex-
position, 1901; gold medal. st. Louis
Exposition, 1904; second w. A. Clark
prize, Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1910, and
gold medal Sesquicentennial,. Philadel-
| phia, 1926. ~
Mr.. Melchers is also a knight of
the Order of ST. Michael of Bavaria
! a chevolier and an officer Of the Legion
! of Honor of France and an officer of
| the Prussian Order of the Red Eagle
He is already represented in the 2er-
manent collection of the Corcoran Gal
ley by two we'll known paintings. en-
titled, respectively, Penelope" ane
Maternity" -
The popular referenda held by the
local institution were started in 1916
have been repeated with each biennia
and initiated widely elsewhere. In the
six conducted thus far the public has
always picked worthy picture ane
always a painting containing one ol
more figures. ~.-...f
The present exhibition will continut
to and including next Sunday after
noon, thus giving the public an op'
portunity of viewing it further before
its close. Hours of opening are. Week
days, from 8 am. to. 4:30 pm; Sun
day afternoon, from 2 until S o'clock.