Evening star., 1952-10-22
By Betty Miles

Al GU4ORC AOt4C PCOp4C1 UAS
people. everybody goes to look at
pictures" Janet Rubin. co-direc-
tor of the new Obelisk Gallery
of Art. declared. "You are more
likely to find them browsing in
an art gallery than shopping dur
ing their lunch hour. If more
small. convenient galleries existed
in this country. Americans would
be apt to do the same thing"
She and Kathryn Eichholtz
hope their small. intimate GAL
lery. which opens at 3241 P
street NV. on Thursday, October
80. will serve that purpose. They
hope, too, that through galleries
like theirs the work Of good young
artists. already recognized, can be
made available to American audi
ences before it becomes so ex-
pensive only the wealthy can af-
ford it.
The more the gallery, formerly
a private home, reminds visitors
OF their own living room, the bet
ter. The owners planned it that
way. Then visitors can more ef-
fectively judge how picture
would look at home. And the
chances of their understanding
the painter, as well as simply
seeing his painting, are consider
ably improved.
kathryn and Janet became we'll
acquainted in Italy with lObelisco.
Rome's Galleria d'Arte Moderna.
which they consider the most i'm
portant art center of the new
Italian renaissance" What this
gallery did to encourage Italian
painters they hope to do for new
talent from many countries.
In their first show, italian
Renaissance. 1882" they will pre-
sent a collection of oils by a group
of Italian painters, some of whom
are internationally known, others
whose works are being shown for
the first time in the United States.
They plan to offer a continuing
series of shows by contemporary
American and European artists.
On their schedule of events to-
come is presentation of Full
bright scholarship artists
Included in the first show will
be the work of Nino Cafe. famous
for his light-hearted paintings of
bustling. breeze-swept priests;
Aldo Pagliacci, Antonio Music,
winner of the Prix de Paris in
1851: Eliano Fantuzzi, Manlio
Guberti and ConstanZa Mennyey.
Young Italian artists whose paint
lngs are being shown for the first
time in America by the Obelisk
are Mario Russo, Neopolitan ia
vorite of the new Washington gall
lery, and Ivan Mosca.
While living in Rome from 1949
to 1852, Kathryn Eicholtz found
that many, many American
guests bought pictures of these
Italians right off the walls of my
home" When these same Amer
leans were transferred to London
or Paris or Singapore they wrote
asking her for something by such
and such an artist" Their under
standing and appreciation of the
work of each artist, and of what
he was trying to say, is an at
titude the Obelisk'S owners ap-
plaud. They are anxious 10 have
the public know the artists them
selves rather than one or two ex-
amples of their work.
Both young women report that
their husbands have suffered from
their present venture, but "are
backing us up all the way" Rob-
ert Eichholtz is general counsel to
Averell Hartman, director of the
Mutual Security Agency; Seymour
Rubin is deputy director to Mr..
Hartman. Their wives began
work on the project in earnest last
March, when Kathryn went to
Europe in July for the pictures,
while Janet hunted for the gallery
here. The latter's initial difficulty
in finding the right spot was for
gotten when she saw the present
building. 1t took her exactly five
minutes to decide it was right.
They have been delighted with
the general interest in their prof.
ect. I'VE have lost our IDENTIFY"
Kathryn said, laughing. 1--WE have
become the ladies who are OPEN
ing the gallery" She added that
they have had many offers of
help. and noted, too, that al
though Baltimore, Wilmington
and Philadelphia already have gall
leries similar to the Obelisk, art
n