Evening star., 1935-10-15
MELLON ASSURES
ART CENTER HERE
Former Secretary of the
Treasury Contributes $10,-
100000 for Gallery.
By the Associated Press.


ing proposed by Andrew w. Mellon
for a national public art gallery in
Washington was brought step nearer
yesterday when Mr.. Mellon filed a
deed conveying income bearing securi-
ties to trust for this purpose
The former Secretary of the Treas
ury in a simply worded seven-page
document outlined the purposes and
uses intended by the establishment
of the fund together with his almost
priceless collection of paintings here
tofore given as a nucleus for a ma
tional institute Of art.
"A national public art gallery or
museum. having as its object the edu-
cation Of the people of the United
States in the fine arts and cultural
advancement Of mankind" he said.
Pictures Valued at S25,O0O,O0O.
The Mellon public educational and
charitable trust, which was organized
back in 1880. chiefly for the object
Of creating this gallery, and has been
actively operating since then for vari-
GUS charitable and educational pur-
poses, already has in its keeping for
such a gallery pictures that cost the
banker more than $25,o00,00o.
The new deed instructs it to take
necessary action" as promptly as pos
sible toward establishment of this in
stitution for the Government.
The building which is to be erected
is not in any way to bear Mr.. Melons
name, but is to be known as "the
National Gallery of Art of the United
States" or by some similar name.
With the completion of the gallery
the collection of rare paintings which
Mr.. Mellon has been gathering for
many years can be suitably housed
and shown to the public.
Under the deed this project must
not be delayed beyond June 80, l94l.
which allows the trustees a period Of
six years. In any event the entire
fund must be used and disposed Of
for such purposes.
Question Of Tax Undecided.
Whether the gift will be subject to
Federal tax is question the Board
of Tax Appeals or the higher courts
likely will have to settle.
The Bureau Of Internal Revenue
abruptly withdrew a former ruling
that gifts to the trust are tax exempt
while the Mellon income tax case was
under way last March. Attorneys
say that to collect taxes on gifts made
prior to that time the bureau will
have to appeal to the board and prove
the trust is not truly Charitable
and educational" one.
If an exemption is not allowed on
this gift, Mr.. Mellon would have to
appeal, they said.
Two internationally known art ex-
perts, Lord Joseph Duveen of England,
trustee of the National Gallery of
London, and DR.. William r. valen-
timer of Detroit have stated they be-
lieve the Mellon educational trust to
have the most valuable of all modern
art collections and have placed its
worth as high as S40,000,000.
The collection includes three great
Raphaels, The Niccolini or ,Cowper
Madonna and Child" and two from
the Russian Hermitage collection, the
Madonna of the House of Alba" and
"St. George and the Dragon"
There also are the famous portrait
of Pope Innocent" by Velasquez;
The Annunciation," by Jan Van
Eyck; THE Crucif1xion," by Perugino;
The Alteration Of the Magi." by
Botticeli, and some of the finest
Rubens, Rembrandts and Van Dycks
in the world.
Rare Pocahontas Portrait.
Although not generally known, Mr..
Mellon has added the only known
portrait of Pocahontas, painted from
life in 1916. just before she died in
England. He purchased it while
acting as Ambassador to the Court
of st. James, and there were number
of fine portraits painted from life of
notable Americans, such as the one
by Gilbert Stuart Of Washington and
Lincoln and Hamilton by other artists.
The trustees are requested to see
that reasonable regulations" are
made regarding efficient operation and
management of the building. and that
only works of art of outstanding
merit and quality shall be perma-
nently exhibited and housed"
In the deed, Mr.. Mellon said in
part:
There is at present no national
! public art gallery or museum in which
may be adequately housed and ex-
hibited the paintings and objects OF
fine arts of the high character and
Importance of the examples which
have been and are intended to be
vested in the A. w. Mellon educational
and charitable trust; nor has the Ma
tional Government adequate facilities
for the exhibition and study of the
fine arts. 1t is my thought that our
country, with its great wealth and
the culture of its people. should be-
come a leader in the study and de-
velopment of art.
Collected for Years.
"Over a period of a great many
years I have been acquiring rare
paintings by old masters, with the
idea that ultimately the collection
would be made available to and be-
come the property Of the people of the
United States. I have, within the
last few years. given to the trust a
large number of important paintings,
including all the most outstanding Of
those acquired from the Russian
Hermitage.
I'm my gift of these paintings for
public educational purposes provided
the trustees would have full discretion
to transfer the same to a national
gallery of art, If and when such q
gallery is completed. These objects Of
art would form the nucleus Of a great
gallery. With such an establishment,
under efficient management. there is
every reason to believe that other
great paintings and collections will be
contributed from time to time to the