Evening star., 1948-06-20
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United Nations Club
Foundation Outlook; !;
Bittinger Honored
By Florence S. Berrymon


The establishment Of an art foun
dation was announced June 8 b,
Meredith Howard, president, ant
Msrgareta Austin, art chairman, o
United Nations Club. It's purpose i
to continue the exhibitions held a
the club during the past two years
and to expand the art program
Among the patrons are David E
Finley, director of the Nationa
Gallery of Art, and Duncan Phillips
director of the Phillips Memorial
Gallery.
The club has carried out varied
program since it took over the build
ing at Nineteenth and r streets
During the season now closing, il
has offered such major exhibitions
as the La Tausca competition, Con-
temporary Arts, Inc, group show
and old master drawings from the
Shaeffer Galleries, New York: for
eign groups ranging from Haitian
primitives to Polish painters, and
four or five one-man shows by
Washington artists, among them
Robert Franklin Gates and Mar
celia Comes. It is gratifying to learn
that the program will continue.
Bittinger Honored
Capt. Charles Bittinger, U. S. N
r. Washington artist by birth and
residence, it the first recipient OF
the newly established Benjamin
West Clinedinst Memorial Medal
II was awarded to him on June 9
hv Artists Fellowship, Inc, at Vir-
ginia Military Institute, Lexington
Va. "for his achievement in the
field OF art, for his research into
color, and the excellence OF his
paintings based on the fundamental
principles Of art" as outlined in the
resolution creating the medal.
Capt. Bittinger was born in Wash
ington SO years ago next Sunday
He was pupil Of the Art Students
League OF New York, and subse-
uuently studied in Paris, at the
Ecole des Beaux Arts, Delecluse and
Colarossi Academies. He is a mem
Der OF 10 professional artists or
ganizations, among them the Ma
tional Academy, the Salmagundi
Club, New York City; the Guild OF
Boston Artists and the Art Asso-
citation of Duxbury, Mass, where he
has a summer home, and the Society
OF Washington Artists and Arts
Club. He has received a number OF
awards, and is represented in perma-
nent collections including the Metro
politan Museum of Art, New York
City: the st. Louis City Art Museum
and the National Academy OF Sci
ences here. to mention but few;
he also painted mural for Frank
lin Institute, Philadelphia.
The Benjamin West Clinedlnst
Memorial Medal was established in
honor of the Virginia artist noted
for his battle scenes. His large
mural. The Battle of New Market, ="
depicting the charge Of v. M. I.
cadets during the Civil War, which
is installed in Jackson Memorial
Hall at the institute, was the setting
for the presentation ceremonies, at
which his son, Wendell w. ClinedinSt,
made the award to Capt. Bittinger.
Henry O'Connor, president OF the
Artists Fellowship (an organization
founded 80 years ago.. spoke on its
2 history and told of Capt. Bittinger's
contributions to art and to naval
science in his work at Bikini in con-
nection with the atom bomb. The
artists connection with the Navy
Department art project in the last
war and his earlier work for the
Government in painting echpses of
the sun and other color phenomena,
are well known here.
Gorg Lober, designer Of the medal,
also took part in the program. This
well-known sculptor Is secretary Of
the National Academy of Design,
Fellow of the National Sculpture So
ciety and executive secretary of the
Art Commission of New York City.
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