TUESDAY, JULY 12, 1910. AN ART PROJECT,

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 866, 12 July 1910, Page 4

TUESDAY, JULY 12, 1910. AN ART PROJECT,

The announcement by the Prime Minister that the Government is willing to provide a site in this city for a National Art Gallery will probably be/ received with mixed feelings. In some quarters, perhaps, there will be something like indignation at the idea of wasting on such a purpose money or land that could bo devoted to "social reform" of some kind, but with this point of view wo need not concern ourselves. It is certainly not in accordance with the fitness of things that after years of fruitless and pitiful appeal for aid the Academy of Fine Arts should see the Govern-, ment's recognition of the merits of a national gallery onm , in the way of a compliment to .; newly-estab-lished Club. That., ..u.vevcr, may pass; the. great thing ia that the Government Ims decided to furnish u site if.somebody will furnish t.hc gallery. At this stage there tiro only two aspects of the question which are worth considering. In the first, place, v.iiile a si to is always a good thing to got fur nothing, the site for a national art gallery worthy of the name bears about the same relation to the complete scheme, in the long run, us the cite of the Bank of England brars to the gold in its vaults. The site, that is to say, is the smallest item in the bill. i'ut thu promise of the sito has another value: it amounts to an admission by the Government that a national gallery is an object worthv of the care of the nation.

To establish u natiomtl collection that is worth having will take, on the most optimistic basis of culcula-

tion as to how much cuii lie spent each year for such a purpose, a very groiiL number oi years. If the right policy i.s followed, even the youngest of those who appluuded the I'iumk Minister's statement to the Art Club on Saturday, will be old ucfos'o the gallery begins to look like the real thing. It is well known that, with some few oxocplionu, Uiu only really good pictures in this country arc hanging upon private walls. Tho standard of merit necessary for _ a _ national collection must be far higher than the standard of any oik; of the existing public galleries—so mudi higher, in fact, that few, if any, of the pie til res owned by the local Acadomv of Fine Arts or by any of tho other Bouinl.ieti in Now Zealand would be worthy of inclusion. If we wesa to judge tho prospects cither oi art or of a national gallery on the character ol the existing collections or the periodical exhibitions of tho art societies, we should say that in both cases tho outlook was poor. Such money as was available, either iu the shape of private donations or State or municipal subventions, would be squandered on a multitude of trifling productions. But nothing very large is likely to be done in a hurry, and the years may bring wisdom and a broader outlook. In time, porhaps, those who busy themselves with the management'ot our art societies may learn how to drag large sums from the municipality, vhe State, and private persons of means. They may also see the wisdom of making their periodical exhibitions something other than collections of moderate and poor performances by local artists. When this stage of effeetivo energy is reached, the national gallery's chances will look very bright. A national gallery is not worth striving for unless a very high ideal is aimed at. For the realisation of that ideal much money and infinite patience will be necessaiy, and these again require that the spirit of the public shall he able to respond vigorously to_ the appeals of individual enthusiasm. The task ahead of those behind the movement is not u light one, but what New South Wales and Victoria can do New Zealand ought to be able to do.