Evening star., 1936-02-05

BY LEILA MECHLIN.
A N EXHIBITION of portraits by
~ Bjorn P. Egeli of this city
~ opened today with private
4 n showing in the National Gal
lery Of Art.
Egeli, though q native of Norway.
has lived here for the last 10 years or
more. and is now a naturalized citizen.
His father taught him drawing and
woodcarving when he was small boy.
He went away to sea at about IS, and
for eight years knew no home.
Like Older seamen, he took service
wherever it offered. changing ships
often at foreign ports, sailing under
several flags, until. finally. he found
himself in New York and decided that
was where he wanted to be.
At q port in South America during
q period Of enforced idleness he had
made a living by making sketches of
boats in the harbor, selling the pic
lures to sailors on shore leave. He also
carved ship models work in which
he still delights and excels. These he
sold in various ports and the fact
three Of them are hung in seamen's
churches in South American ports still
is q matter Of pride.
Attended Corcoran School.
In New York, in 1922 or 1928, Egeli
made the acquaintance of Thomas
Clayton Of Washington through a
common interest in athletics. Clayton
persuaded him TO come to Washington
To him art had always been allur-
ing. and the night school at the Cor
coran Gallery of Art opened unex-
pected opportunities in this direction
To the teaching of Richard Meryman
Burtis Baker and Eugen Weisz he &C.
knowledges great Indebtedness. After
getting q start under these instruc-
tors, Egeli's career was interrupted fol-
q couple Of years by service with the
Coast Guard, but since 1880 he has
maintained q studio here and given
his entire time to painting.
He has married a Washington girl
a fellow student, who, he declares,
paints better than he does. But he
has had, it seems, many distinguished
sitters. OF all the portraits now on
display. only four were not commits
sions. Such a display accorded a
local artist by the National Gallery
Of Art is triumph, indeed. Little
could the blue-eyed, yellow haired
Oslo sailor boy, hawking his boat pic
lures on South American wharves
have dreamed of such achievement.
But that he has worked for it none
can doubt.
Two of Egeli's portraits now on ex-
hibition have won prizes here. To a
portrait Of Miss Anne Daingerfield.
shown in the Corcoran Gallery of
Arts Biennial Exhibition in 1882, the
popular prize" was voted, and in the
Society Of Washington Artists most
recent annual exhibition, the medal
for figure painting was awarded his
portrait of DR.. Steineger. Both are
excellent works No less good are his
portraits Of Mrs. Randolph Leigh and
OF Mrs. K. Hayes, the latter just COM
pleted.
Portrait of Legare.
A standing portrait of Alex B. Le-
gare in brown hat and riding clothes,
seen against rolling landscape and
clouded sky, is strong and effective,
and a full-length portrait of Mrs.
Ihomas. in white with her white Rus
sian wolf hound beside her, is very
striking in pattern.
The catalogue OF the exhibition in
cludes portraits of three well-known
physicians and surgeons James
Mitchell. DR.. Harry Kerr and DR..
Gerry Morgan-all good paintings
with high regard for likeness.
The same may be said Of Egeli's
portrait Of Gen. John H. Russell, COM
mandant Of the Marine Corps, and
that Of Surgeon General Cumming.