Evening Star Newspaper, June 10, 1935, Page 51

World-Famous Paint- ings and Valuable Ex- hibits of Art and His- torical Collections In- cluded in Noted Gal- leries and Muscums Lere. BY REN COLLIER. F WASHINGTON is not alieady the art capital of America, there will be no dis- puling the title when Andrew W Mellon carries out his plan of presenting to the Nation his matchless collection of old masters, suitably housed in o great art gallery here When that day comes—and Mcllon aecently reiterated his determination to go forwiard wilh his plans—the Nation's Capital well may «laim the distinction of being the art center of the world Without the Mellon collection, Washington has front-rank position in the world of art With it, even the great cultural ceniers of Europe cannot claim superiority, for Europe's outstanding art connoisseur, Lord Duveen, has described Mellon's assortment of paintings as “one of the finest collections of Old World art in the universe.” Locked in a carefully guarded vault Corcoran Gallery ot Art are some of the most valuable of these m rpigges, such as Ra- phael’s “Alba Madonns which Lord Duveen ranks higher than the famed “Sistine Ma- donna” and for which the former Treasury Secretary paid $1,166.000; the “Cowper Ma- ‘donna,” by Raphael; Botticelli's “Adoration of the Magi,” Van Eyck's “Annunciation.” Titian's “Toilet of Venus” and Perugino's "Crucifixion.” These and other works, valued at many mil= Yions of dollars, are to be placed in a national art gallery which Mellon has announced he will erect here on a suitable site, yet to be dise closed. Some have thought the Mellon gallery will be built on the south side of Constitution pvenue, between Twelfth and Fourteenth streets, where officials in chargé of the “triangle” public buildings development have reserved ground for a “national gallery of art.” Others believe the Mellon building will be distinct from the national gallery shown on official charts. The National Gallery of Art now designated by this name has no home of its own. It is Jocated in the National Museum and is under supervision of the Smithsonian Institution. It legally came into existence by decree of the District of Columbia Supreme Court in 1906 as an outgrowth of litigation over the will of Har- riet Lane Johnston bequeathing her art collec- tion to the Government for its projected ‘“‘na- tional gallery.” She was the niece of James Buchanan and was mistress of the White House during his regime, - Since then the gallery has attained wide fmportance through acquisition of the Gellatly, Evans and other collections of paintings, sculp= ture and other works of art. John Gellatly, wealthy New York art lover, who died in 1931, gave the gallery more than 1,600 items, including m;s. water colors, prints, bronzes, jewelry, carve ing., textiles and other valued articles. ut the OST famous of Washington's art galleries, however, is the Corcoran Gallery of Art, at Seventeenth street and New York avenue, which, in addition to owning a priceless per- manent collection housed in its imposing stone home near the White House, has taken a leading part in fostering advancement of American art through its famed biennial exhibitions. Created by gift of William Wilson Corcoran in 1869, the Corcoran Gallery has occupied its present quarters since 1897. In 1928 the Clark wing was opened through the generosity of the late Senator W. A. Clark of Montana, his widow and their daughters. The wing was erected by Mrs. Clark and the daughters to provide ap- propriate housing for Senator Clark's notable collection of paintings, bequeathed to the gallery. In the Clark collection are works by such artists as Rubens, Rembrandt, CGalnsborough, Hogarth, Titian, Perugino, Renesse, Revnolds and Van Cleve. The Corcoran Gallery's Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary American Oil Paintings has be- come a naticnal event in the realm of American art. These exhibitions, one of which closed only recently, are made possible through trust funds established by Senator Clark and his widow. The funds not only defray costs of organizing the exhibitions, but provide the biennial W. A, Clark prizes, aggregating $5.000. The prizes, four in number. are awarded to the artists whose paintings are chosen as best by a jury of dis=- tinguished critics. Surplus funds are used to purchase works of art by American painters—in the discretion of the trustees of the gallery. In this way tlic gallery has built up an exceptional permanent collection of outstanding paintings by Amervican artists, admirably depicting the trend ot art in this country over a period of vears. The Corcoran Gallery has assisted many fartists in disposing of their paintings and has charged no commission for these services It &lso conducts the Corcoran School of Art, for R, WASHIN GTON, D. C, JUNE 10, 1935. The New National Museum, part of the Smithsonian Institutio n. which houses, among other interesting exhibits. the National which there is a small entrance fee, but no tuition charge. C. Powell Minnigerode is director of the gallery. TO THE west of the Smithsonian Institution is the Freer Art Gallery, gift to the Nation of the late Charles Leng Freer, Detroit million- aire who spent many years building up a re- markable collection of art objects from all coiners of the world. Dedicated in 1923, the Freer Gallery has at- fracted visitors of all walks of life. One section is devoted to works of James McNeill Whistler. Other American artists represented are Dewing, Hassam, Melcher, Metcalf, Sargent and equally well-known painters, Ancient Oriental art occupies a prominent place in the Freer collection. There are paint- ings. pottery, sculptures, wood carvings, bronze and jade pieces and various other examples of Chinese and Japanese handiwork, dating back to the Chinese Chou dynasty, a thousand years before Christ. Of special interest to Bible students are the gallery’s Greek biblical manuscripts, which date from the fifth century. Freer gave to the Government not only his Gallery of Art. collection, but the beautiful edifice in which it is housed. It was his intention that the gallery eventually would become part of ‘the projected national gallery. The Library of Congress and the Capitol con- tain many art treasures belonging to the Nation. The Library building itself is decorated with painting and sculpture that are an inherent part of the structure. Murals adorn the walls and mosaics of riotous color liven the great halls. Exclusive of the site, the net cost of the building was more than $6,000,000. One of the familiar art features is the bronze foun- tain, by Hinton Perry, representing the “Court of Neptune.” This spirited group of sculptured sea nymphs, tritons, sea horses, presided over by King Neptune, confronts ever visitor ap- proaching the Library from the Capitol side. RT in literature is represented adequately in the extensive collection of books, manu- scripts, drawings and other items on display in the Library. There are photographic repro- ductions of ancient Italian art and many etch- ings and drawings by modern artists. At the Capitol are to be found many works The Corcoran Art Gallery, located within a stone’s throw of the White House, which houses among its noted treasures the William 4. Clark collection, valued at between five and six million dollars. Underwood & Underwood. Harris & Ewing, ¢” aterest to the art 10 er. Flanking the steps are marble sculptures depicting *Discovery” and “The Pioneer,” and in other places of vantage are statuary units representing hise torical phases of American life. Among huge paintings in the building are John Trumbull’s “Signing of the Declaration of Independence,”™ “Surrender of Gen. Burgoyne,” ‘‘Surrender ot Cornwallis” and “Washington Resigning His Commission.” The largest of all canvases in the Capitol is Willilam H. Powell’s “Battle of Lake Erie,” in the Senate side. In Statuary Hall are to be found statues of many great men who made history in the various States. One of the city's fine private collections Is in the Phillips Memorial Gallery, at 1600 Twene ty-first street. This gallery, founded by Duncan Phillips in memory of his father, contains many splendid examples of old and modern art. All of Washington's art is not in gallerles or museums, however. Some of its buildings are sheer works of art in themselves. The Pan-American Union Building, with its mag- nificent grounds and courtyards, is considered one of the country's architectural gems. It is rivalled only by the classic Lincoln Memorial, with its bridge approach, and by the array of new public buildings nearing completion along the Mall, W hat to Seein Washington Continued From Page 14. Arts and Industries Building and the Aircrafy Building, each provide sufficient exhibits for hours of study and observation. Here are vast stamp and coin collections, swords, ancient armor, clothing and homecraft of all nations, art treasures, prehistoric monsters and displays of varied historic interest. The Afrcraft Building and the Arts and Ine dustries Building contain the first autogiro ever flown, models of ancient flying craft and actual pioneering recent ones. Here are the famous NC-4, the Lindbergh plane, Spirit of St. Louis, and the Langley experimental aire craft, among others. Rock Creek Park Occupying 176 acres of wind-swept hills in Rock Creek Park are the National Zoological Gardens. ‘Thousands annually visit the rare specimens of fauna from all parts of the world on year= 'round display here. Out-of-door settings set off the larger animals—elephants, bears, odd beasts from far corners of the world; monkey cages house the perennial delight of all Zoo visitors, the large and small varieties of simian, The new reptile house and bird house, built within the last few years, are regarded as the finest structures of their kind in the world. Certain species of toads and lizards which ordinarily it is almost impossible to keep alive in captivity are thriving in the reptile house glass cages flooded with violet ray light. The ccbra, the deadly python, colorful tree snakes, and those reptiles that creep around in rocks are the most mopular creatures in the Zoo, as they move aboul in their cages, painted and planted to represent their native habitats. Approximately 400 species of birds in the bird house and outdoor cages form an interesting unit. Among the rarities are the California condors, the only ones in captivity, and the shoe-bill. A natural waterfall in & 700-foo lake and an eagle cage are features of this uni§ ool