Evening star., 1937-12-05
By Leila Mechlin.
4 GAIN not one but several i'm

- Ing AlmOSI simultaneously
4 a here in Washington. Tomor-
row afternoon at private view and
reception, the unique exhibition illus
trating Problems of Portraiture" will
open In Phillips Memorial Gallery here,
where 1t may be seen continuously I'M
til January 3. The main gallery and
all the rooms on the second floor will
be given over to this display, which
will include wide range of works in
various media produced from ancient
times to today. Unlike most exhibi-
tions of art, the works included herein
will not be set forth, primarily, for
their own sake, but to illustrate
thesis; that of E. M. Benson, lately ap-
pointed educational supervisor in the
Pennsylvania Museum of Art, Phila-
delphia
This thesis, published in full by the
American Federation of Arts as a sup
plement to the November issue of the
Magazine of Art, was distributed when
this exhibition was shown recently in
the Pennsylvania Museum and will be
available here. 1t gives as a reason
for portraiture mans innate desire for
Immortality, and on this basis traces
the deviation of art through the CEN
turies. In accordance with modern
thought, art is lifted out of the visual
into the psychological; science is called
in to explain the inexplicable. This
undoubtedly should induce thoughtful
discussion, but it should not be for
gotten that art, in itself, is more i'm
portant, and more significant, than
anything that can be said of it.
The material for this exhibition has
been borrowed from more than so pub
lie and private collections in this coun-
try and abroad. and among the lenders
are such well known institutions and
individuals as the Art Institute Of
Chicago, the Detroit Institute of Arts,
the Fogg Museum, the Pennsylvania
Academy of the Fine Arts, the Penn
sylvania Museum Of Art, Smith Col
lege Museum, Mr. and Mrs. Chester
Dale. Mr.. Herbert L. Pratt, Mrs. John
D. Rockefeller. DR.. A. S. w. Rosen-
bach and others.
1t is difficult to conceive of an ex-
hibition of such varied character. In
cluded in the collection will be Renais-
sance portrait medals, European and
American miniatures, portraits from
illuminated manuscripts produced in
both the East and the West, paintings
by great masters, such as Tintoretto,
Rembrandt, Delacroix, Gainsborough,
Sargent, Whistler, Renoir, Gauguin,
Matisse and Soutine, to say nothing
Of sculpture by Lachaise and Epstein;
death masks, engravings and etchings.
A group of unique self-portraits by
Cezanne. Van Gogh and Goya will
give introduction to the potentialities
in this particular field.
Among the photographers repre-
sented will be Brady, Disderi, Nadar.
Steichen and Steiglitz. An automatic
motion picture machine will be used
in connection with this exhibition to
show the contribution of the film to
portraiture by projecting excerpts
from outstanding German, French
and American film
Explanatory labels with critical and
interpretative text will accompany the
exhibits as aids to understanding and
elucidation Of the problems of portrai-
ture. In every respect this promises
to be remarkably interesting display.
as well as a step in new direction,
educationally and artistically. What
ever is new is interesting. but value can
only be estimated through trial. How
ever. the opportunity of seeing works
of such varied character, lent by pri-
vate collectors and institutions of
note, should, under any circumstances,
prove to be an unusual privilege.
Exhibition of Prints by Print
Makers of S1Oeden in the Library
of Congress.
IN THE Library of Congress today
q collection of 200 prints by con-
temporary Swedish print-makers will
be placed on exhibition. This collec-
tion comes to this country by way of
exchange, for collection, similar in
size, of works of the leading American
print-makers, which is now on circuit
in Sweden. The exchange is spon-
sored and was arranged by the So
ciety of American Etchers, of which
John Taylor Arms is president, the
cooperating organization in Sweden
being the Riksforbundet for Bildande
Konst. The American exhibition,
carefully selected by jury of experts,
was sent to Stockholm early in March
and has since been shown in various
cities Of Sweden. Early in the COM
ing year it will, by special invitation,
60 to Denmark, Norway and Finland.
The Swedish collection, now to be
shown in Washington, arrived in the
United States the last of october and
was shown from November / until
last week, in conjunction with the
Society Of American Etchers' Annual
Exhibition, held this year for the first
time in International House, Rocke-
feller Center, New York Therein,
works by American print-makers and
the printmakers of Sweden were
shown in alternate sections, side by
side. From the New York critics the
Swedish exhibition called forth much
praise. The display here in our Ma
oAoAAoA SoHACuA WILL ullOoubtCOlf CIChlc
no less interest
Sweden is distinctly to the fore in
the minds Of the people Of the United
States at this time because early in
1898 will be celebrated the 300th an
niversary of the establishment of the
first Swedish colony on the banks
Of the Delaware River near Whining
ton. To commemorate this event Carl
Miles, the great Swedish sculptor, has
produced monument to be erected at
the landing place, the gift of the peo-
pie Of Sweden, the cost being met by
public subscription. To further cele-
brate this occasion, Sweden, ofiicially,
as a nation, has assembled and sent
to this country an exhibition Of the
art Of Sweden from the time of the
Vikings to the present, which, like
the prints, will tour some Of our lead
ing cities and is scheduled to be shown
here in Washington in the Corcoran
Gallery of Art next April. In what
way can the tie between nations be
better strengthened than through the