THE ART GALLERY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1965, 23 January 1914, Page 6

THE ART GALLERY.

":'Representatives of the Council of the ."New" Zealand-Academy of Fine Arts are to wait upon the Finance Committee-of the City Council this afternoon- in order to submit a request which seems on the face of it to be reasonable, and to merit consideration. Since the local Art Gallery was opened in 1906 the City Council has given a yearly subsidy of £50 ./towards its maintenance. The subsidy has been discontinued since the Baiiaje exhibition, when the City Council made a grant of £1000.for the purchase of pictures. There seems to be a misunderstanding over the matter,' for while the City Council holds that the grant of £1000 was intended,to suffice for the purposes of the Academy until the projected National Art Gallery had been erected, the officials of the Academy contend that no such stipulation was made, and that the sum of SIOQO was granted for a specific purpose (the purchase of pictures), and had. no reference to tho annual subsidy.' ..The..amount at stake, is not large, but the matter is of importance to the Academy on account- of its limited financial resources. Hitherto ' the greater part of the subsidy has beftn absorbed in the pay' meiit 6£: rates, amounting to £30 per annum. All that is asked for is that the suboidy should be continuod until the National Gallery has been erected and the collection transferred. In the circumstances t'ho Academy's application should ■ receive sympathetic consideration from the City Council. Thn alternative to a renewal of the subsidy appears to be that some part of the cost of maintaining the city's free Art Gallery— which even in its present _ narrow quarters is * valuable public assetwill have to bo boyiif by a private society which has done a great deal, in the way of volunteer effort, to stimulate a popular appreciation of works of art.