Evening star., 1938-08-14
FIELD OF ART is BOOMING THIS SUMMER
Working Worlds Fairs and Competitions Announced by
OF Comp QueSioned-Americn
Are Criticised

found to be fully satisfactory, and
every one was thrown out. On the
other hand commissions given directly
are based on known and established
ability. Therefore merit Is fairly we'll
assured.
Such awards take on what Is more
the character Of prizes. honoring the
artist for past achievement and stimu-
lating others by emulation. Possibly
it is well to employ both methods
from time to time. but, reviewing the
past. one must admit that the best
works have not been attained through
competitions.
Like the prize awards by profes-
sional juries in the great exhibitions.
they seldom meet with general ap-
proval. This Is the case Of the re-
cent award Of sculpture for the United
States Government Building at the
New York Worlds Fair. The COM
petition for mural paintings for this
building may. however. be the ex-
ception which proves the rule. 1t Is
earnestly to be hoped that 1t will.
WHEN Jefferson was in Europe. in
w the early days Of our republic,
he expressed in . letter to Madison
great concern about the development
Of art in this country. not merely for
the sake of his fellow countrymen, but
in order that, as . Nation, we might
rise in the esteem of those Of the Old
World rich in tradition and experience.
As a people. however. We have, up
to the present time, been rather in
different to this matter. The best
European art has been brought to
this country, but little effort has been
made to exhibit American art abroad.
The American representation in the
most recent Paris Exposition was got
ten together hurriedly and at the
last moment. In the sending Of ex-
hibitions Of American art abroad the
United States Government has taken
no interest and spent no money. We
have, thorugh the generosity Of the
late Walter L. Clark OF the Grand
Central Galleries, New York. an
American pavilion at the Venice Inter-
nationals. but whatever exhibitions
have been shown therein have been
financed by private gift.
A year ago the government Of
France. through its department of fine
arts, invited the Museum Of Modern
Art, New York, to assemble An exhibi-
tion Of American art to be shown this
summer in the Jeu de Paume. Paris.
The invitation was accepted and a
collection assembled and sent. In Lon
don at the sane time 4 collection Of
American paintings was set forth in
the galleries of q dealer with estab-
lishments there and in New York. the
well-known firm Of Wildenstein. Alas,
however. neither seems to have
achieved the much desired end that
Thomas Jefferson had in view. Mr.. A.
Conger Goodyear, president Of the
Museum of Art, New York. Is quoted
as having said that unfortunately
some Of the most important paintings
which they wished to borrow and in
clude in the exhibition in Paris were
not obtainable-therefore the retro
spective section was less notable than
IL should have been.
RUT, after all, it was not the art Of
the past. but OF the present which
apparently met with least favor. For
instance. Edward A. Jewell, art critic
Of the New York Times, quotes M.
Villeboeuf as saying, in his review in
Gringoire, Il have no desire to dis
parage American art-it is still in its
infancy and therefore merits being
loved and protected" But, after walk
ing through huge rooms hung
with paintings Of the advanced school, :"
he declares that our painting of today
"betrays the germ of academic death, "
is without origin, without taste,
marked only by an originality that
accentuates the indecency OF It's arro-
sance, the puerility Of It's vanity''-and,
finally, that nothing particularly
American distinguishes It," This Is
certainly rather severe, but not Alto
gether unmerited.