Evening star., 1940-08-11
-Four Washington Collections Represented in Fine
Exhibition of European Masterpieces at Worlds Fair
Panoramic Display
Contains Nearly
400 Paintings
By Florence S. Bergman.

1QQdy, WllcIl tIlC ldtc VI COQIlUiCSf
art treasures in Europe Is uncertain
and nothing can reconcile us to Their
loss, it is at least gratifying to realize
that public and private collections
In the United States can supply q
comprehensive panorama of Euro
pean civilization, as recorded in
masterpieces of painting.
At the New York Worlds Fair
last year there was superb exhibi-
ton of paintings by old masters
about 40 of which were borrowed
from European collections. Again this
year at the Fair the Masterpieces
of Art Building is filled with nearly
400 paintings representing four CEN
turies in Italy, France, the Low
Countries, Spain, Great Britain and
the United States. Only nine OF
these 388 works were in last years
show and the great majority are
from collections in this country
Thirty EIGHT public collections, in
cluding three in Washington-the
Phillips Memorial Gallery, the Ma
tional Collection of Fine Arts ano
the National Gallery of Art-and
several hundred private collectors
including Mr.. and Mrs. Robert
Woods Bliss of Washington, have
made the New York exhibition pos
sible by the loan of their treasures
The 1910 exhibition, like last years
was organized by Art Associates
Inc, of which DR.. Alexander Ham,
ilton Rice is president. Walter
Pach. painter and author, is general
director.
Comment Is Apropos.
In his foreword to the excellent
catalogue of the show, Mr.. Pach says
the public's enthusiastic response
manifested in the unexpectedly large
attendance last year, encouraged the
organization of this second exhibi-
ton. On the assumption that many
Washingtonians will again 60 to the
Fair and will visit the masterpieces
of art, comment on the display
seems apropos.
Last years exhibition began with
the 18th century and ended with the
18th; this years covers the four CEN
turies from 1900 to 1900. This
chronological difference naturally
changes the craracter of the exhibi-
ton. The absence of the splendid
early Italians and other primitives
of last years display will put this
years definitely in second place in
many opinions. On the other hand,
the presence this year of an extern
sive representation of the 10Th CEN
tury French will be ample compen-
sation for other tastes.
The French genius, in fact, is the
dominant motif in this years ex-
hibition, despite the presence Of
superb canvases from other national
schools of painting. French paint
ings comprise nearly half of the dis
play and occupy 7 of the 18 galleries,
This great collection was assembled
by Geru1ain Seligmann. In view
of its scope, one is perhaps ungrate-
full to wonder why it does not in
clude a group of 18th century ex-
amples, something by the Clouets
or their followers. (There is one
painting only of this period: Love
Disarmed," ascribed to Antoine
Caron, one Of the decorators of the
Palace of Fontainebleau in the mid
18th century,
Visitor Gets Flavor"
The galleries in the Masterpieces
Building are, with a few exceptions,
well hung, and the visitor is able to
get a single impression of the
flavor" of each school and period,
in a brief glance, preliminary to
examining the individual paintings.
The sumptuousness of Italy during
the high renaissance is apparent in
the splendid portraits and figure
paintings, the rich colors and mag
nificent costumes, in the first two
galleries. Raphael, one Of the great
est masters of this period in Central
Italy, begins the exhibition with his
superb portrait of Giuliano de-
Medici, Duke of Nemours (Which
also was shown last year,.
Vittoria Colonna, the remarkable
woman who was a friend Of Michel
angelo and noted for her intellect
and poetry, is the subject of an ar
resting portrait by Bronzino. 1t is
beautifully painted, and the char
acterization Is penetrating. The
woman has an austere face, pose
of great dignity, and is simply clad
in black and white. This portrait
probably approaches the mental
concept of Vittoria Colonna. which
many readers of Michelangelos
biographies have doubtless had.
Other superb portraits include
that by Sebastiano del Piombo Of
Andrea Turini, professor Of medi-
cine at the University of Pisa; Tom
maso Rangone, smiling old man
with a patriarch's beard, painted
by Tintoretto, who is represented
by four paintings: an elaborate
portrait of the Cornaro children, in
Guiding their patron saint, a bishop
and the Madonna and Child with
cherubim. Also there are two char
acteristic works by Titan, a por-
trait of a man in soft-textured red
and black color scheme, simple yet
opulent, and a version Of the famous
''Danae" in the Naples Museum.
Kress Is Represented.
Lazarus and the Rich Man." by
Jacopo Bassano, is a striking figure
painting, giving strongly lighted
picture of wealthy Venetians at
dinner quite Indifferent to the beggar
awaiting their charity. Also out
sNnding Is the beautiful venus" :"
by Bernardino Luini, belonging to
Samuel H. Kress "a generous
benefactor Of Washington's Ma
tional Gallery of Art), who has lent
81 paintings to the New York Fair
exhibition.
The grand manner Of the Baroque
period impresses the visitor to the
third gallery, devoted to Italian
masters of the 17th century. One
sees portraits of the sophisticated
people of the time, particularly in
Venice, such as Pietro Longhi's
tyyAnc ctiop T1ptlcrnop". re1iuin,1s