Evening star., 1956-12-26
John Walker, Director Of National Gallery Of Art,
Maps Program to Bring Museum Closer to People
BY HARRY BACAS

/ ~ AAEAANASA DlOIN0
John Walker, the new direc-
tor of the National Gallery of
Art, is a man who loves art and
only wishes more people could
see the magnificent collection in
his charge.
The director, who has been
with the gallery since before it
opened, succeeded to the top
spot this year, shortly after the
gallery celebrated its 18th ami
versary.
This institution" he says.
belongs to the people of the
entire country. We want it to
reach more of them and to be OF
greater service when it does"
So. Mr.. Walker, a man fol
whom art is no substitute for ac-
tion. is preparing to expand the
Igallery's slide and movie film
services. step up the distribution
Iof its publication, seek more no.
1tice in popular periodicals and
give the visiting public more
information about the works of
art in the gigantic pink marble
treasure house on Constitution
avenue.
2 Million Visitors
Mr.. Walker could, if he wished.
rest easily on the National Gal
lery's present popularity. 1t
draws an average of nearly 2
million visitors a year. That's
equal to the count at the Lincoln
Memorial and twice that at the
Washington Monument.
What the millions come to
see is a display of 9O4 paintings
and 167 pieces of sculpture
which John Walker has had as
much to do with assembling as
any man, and which no man
loves more passionately.
He dates that love of art to
the time when. as boy of 13,
he was recuperating from infan-
tile paralysis. Confined for a
time to a wheelchair, the boy
pushed himself through New
York's Metropolitan Museum of
Art day after day, summing him.
self in the light of that gallery's
great paintings and sculptures.
Native Of Pittsburgh
Mr.. Walker, so, was born in
Pittsburgh, the son of a mod
erately wealthy family who had
made their money in steel and
bricks. Their brick business, one
OF the Nations largest, was
started by John Walkers great
grandfather.
Sent to Harvard, the young
man made a name as a radical
in art. With two classmates,
Lincoln KRISTEN and Edward
Warburg. he opened a modern
art gallery, showing the works
OF the most advanced artists
of the time.
But he was not a radical in
other respects. Graduated with
summa cum laude degree in
fine arts he was given a John
Harvard Scholarship for further
study in Italy.
The scholarship was a splen-
did thing to have, Mr.. Walker
explains. but purely honorary.
"At Harvard they have a silly
system-if you have money, they
don't believe in giving you any
more"
BerensOn His Mentor
For three years he studied in
the Florentine villa Of the ia
nous art historian Bernard Be-
renSon. Mr.. Berenson, now 81,
has since willed his art collec-
tion-known as the most dis
tinguished private collection in
Italy-to Harvard University.
During the three years in Villa
II Tatti" Mr.. Walker put his
interest in modern art in the
background while he concen-
trated on Mr.. Berenson's spe-
cialty, Renaissance art. He de-
voted his time especially to a
study of the drawings and en-
cravings of the Renaissance.
He developed such an abiding
affection for "B. b." as the his
torian'S friends call him, that he
still returns once a year to visit
him.
But in 1888, when 81 years
old, Mr.. Walker came home to
Pittsburgh. He was not yet GER
tain that art was his life work.
He decided to try his hand at
law and politics.
Brief Try at Politics
| He worked in the Pittsburgh
municipal election and then went
back to Harvard to study politi-
cal science and government. Both
ventures were brief. and both
were dismal enough failures to
convince him that he should stick
to art. "the only thing I was
ever good at"
SO he left school again. this
time in midterm. arc began
writing a book about style in
painting. He still hasn't finished
the book. although he has writ
ten many others.
In 1885. he was invited to
return to Italy as the head OF
the department Of fine arts at
the American Academy in Rome.
He stayed there four years. It
was there that he met and mar
ried the daughter OF the late
Eric Drummond. Earl Of Perth,
who was British Ambassador to
Italy.
Then. in 1898. he was offered
the job Of chief curator OF the
National Gallery of Art, which
had been planned by Andrew
Mellon and was being worked
4.