Evening star., 1935-12-08

Se prize IN the washington So
he Public Library.
cree of the Supeme Court of the Dis
trict of Columbia in connection with
the bequest Of the Harriet Lane Johns
ton collection. the name National Gall
lery of Art was first applied in 1906
to the collections gotten together up
to that time. Fourteen years later
in 1920, the National Gallery Of Art,
by act of Congress, was made sep
arate unit under the Smithsonian In
stitution, with the late William H.
Holmes as director. Since that time
meager appropriations have been
made for salaries and upkeep-but
none for purchases or such activities
as all other art museums consider as
of necessity. The commission, which
is an advisory body, its members serv-
ing without pay, is composed Of public
men interested in the fine arts and
experts. laymen and professional art
lists. The personnel of the committee
at the present time is as follows:
Charles Moore, chairman of the Fed
eral Art Commission; Col. George B.
Mcclellan, Frederick P. Keppel, pres
ident of the Carnegie Corporation OF
New York; Andrew W. Mellon, John
E Lodge, Frank Jewett Mather. jr.:
James Earle Fraser, Edward w. Red
field, Charles L. Borie. Herbert Adams,
Clifford Beal, Paul Manship. Edmund
c. Tarbell and Mahonri Young. G.
c. Abbot, head of the Smithsonian
Institution. is ex-ofncio member and
secretary. There is one vacancy, occa-
stoned by the death of Joseph H. GeSt.
This commission studies the prob
lens of the gallery and is also charged
with the responsibility of providing a
gallery building. The latter respon-
Sibility, it would seem, has been as
sumed by Mr. Mellon, but the prob
lens in connection Herewith are by no
means as yet solved. The National
Gallery collections at present include
some very valuable paintings, but not
a great many that would attain to
the high standard set by Mr.. Melons
own collection, which is part OF his
great gift. That the national collec-
tions, housed in the new building.
shall attain to this highest standard
is his expressed wish. Also it is un-
derstood that the new National Gall
lery of Art will not be under the wing
of the Smithsonian Institution-an
organization primarily devoted to
science and its advancement. Here is
a second problem for the commission
to solve. AS France has the Louvre
and the Luxembourg, and London the
National Gallery and the Tate, there
is no reason why we should not have
a National Gallery of Art solely for
paintings by deceased masters OF
established standing and gallery for
works by American painters chrono-
logically important and contemporary.
But what, by the way, has become OF
the plan to establish here, and with
out delay, a National Portrait Gal.
lery about which so much was heard
last season?
BRENDA PUTNAM, daughter Of the
librarian of Congress and well
]
onstration of sculpture under the aus
pices of the Washington Society Of
the Fine Arts in the auditorium OF
the Corcoran Gallery Of Art next
Wednesday evening To show how
sculptor works, Miss Putnam will
model a portrait head before the au-
dience while she explains the proc.
l h. Z
Bergman, cartoonist of The Star and
a member of the Council of the So
ciety, who has kindly consented to
serve as model. Miss Putnam has
given demonstrations of this sort with
great success in New York and else
where. She is especially skillful in
portraiture and her heads Of Harold
Bauer and Gabrilowitz, very carefully
studied, are reckoned among her best
works.
AN EXHIBITION of water colors by
five Washington painters is to
be seen during December in the
Northeastern branch of the Public
Library. The painters represented are
Lesley Jackson, Eleanor Parke Gusts,
Francis H. Combs, Gertrude Brown
and A. H. o. Role. The exhibition
was arranged through the co-opera.
ton of the art division Of the District
of Columbia Federation Of Women's
Clubs.
GLADYS BRANNIGAN, formerly Of
this city and well known here
through exhibitions of her work in
both oil and water color this Fall, has
become head Of the srt department.
Of Hollins Institute, near Roanoke.
Va. Mrs. Brannigan is a member of
the Society Of Washington Artists,
Washington Water Color Club, Allied
Artists of America and North. Shore
Art Association. In the exhibition
held by the last named at Gloucester
during the past Summer she was rep
resented by an exceptionally strong
painting entitled Twilight on the
Moy."
GORDON DUNTHORNE announces
~ informal exhibition Of old flower
and garden prints in the garden
room Of his residence, 1904 N street
northwest, by appointment. Also
| illustrated lectures on "Old Flower
Prints and Books, oxford and Its
Gardens" and Seventeenth and Eight.
eenth Century Prints of English Gar
dens."