Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-01-26

visory Committee for this exhibition
are c. Powell Minnigerode, director
of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and
Duncan Phillips, director Of the Phil
lips Memorial Gallery.
In December, 1919. following the
death of his wife. Jennie Byrd Bryan
Payne. Judge Payne gave to the State
OF Virginia a notable collection OF
paintings, which, lacking other &C
commodations. was placed temporarily
in the building known as Battle
Abbey"
In February, 1882. Judge Payne
made a gift of 500, 900 for the cree
ton Of a Virginia museum of art,
upon the condition that an equal
sum be given by others. Directly
thereafter a site owned by the State
was set aside by the Legislature, and
following a luncheon given in May,
1888. announcement was made that
the second 100000 had been guaran-
teed by a group of public-spirited,
art-loving Virginians. The cost OF
the building. however. exceeded the
sum of these two amounts, and its
completion was only made possible
by additional donations, in materials
and labor, totaling in value S77,500,
contributed by the Federal Govern
ment through the Public Works Ad-
uinistration.
To an exceptional degree this mu-
scum just opened to the public stands
for conviction on the part Of Fed
eral and State officers as we'll as Of
private citizens of the cultural value
of the fine arts. 1t is a splendid
gift to the people of Virginia and to
the country at large.
In January. 1885. Judge Payne was
elected first president. but his death
occurred before the building was COM
pleted. In his will he left additional
works of art and valuable library,
comprising several thousand volumes,
to the museum as we'll as an endow-
ment fund of 1000. to be expended
for paintings by American artists for
a permanent collection. One of the
galleries has been named in his honor.
Former Gov. John Garland Pollard,
now chairman of the Board Of Vet
Grams Appeals, Veterans Administra-
ton. succeeded Judge Payne in the
presidency. and has been largely in
strumental in bringing the work to
successful consummation.
THE building, Of which John F.
Ferguson of the firm Of PEBBLES
& Ferguson is named as architect.
is Of limestone and brick, Georgian
in style. dign!fed in appearance, and
extremely we'll planned. Looking 10
the future and anticipating growth,
it has been designed as first unit
of a much larger structure; in fact,
merely the cross-piece Of letter III"
The principal galleries are on the
second floor. reached by monu-
mental double staircase. On the first
floor are offices, the library, two rooms
now used for exhibition purposes. one
Of which is intended for an assembly
hall. storage, packing and receiving
room, etc.
Above stairs, the visitor enters d.
rectly an imposing sculpture hall, OF
Of which open two galleries in the
rear and six communicating galleries
in the front. These galleries have
skylights and electricity, their ceilings
are lofty, and their walls covered with
monks cloth or similar textile Of
light, neutral tint between an "oyster"
and a buff.
In Richmond in 1876, one of the
first II not the first Academy of Fine
Arts in this country was organized,
under the leadership Of young
French officer of the Colonial armies,
Chevalier Alexandra Marie Quesnay
de Beaurepaire, and the sponsorship
of a group of Virginia's most illus
trious citizens. It did not have long
life, but it was a first seed and. with
some stretch of imagination, the new
museum may be regarded as its fruit.
Forsthis reason the inaugural exhibit
ton was planned to cover the period
from Colonial days to the early years
Of tho twentieth century In America.