DISPLACED EXHIBITS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 18, Issue 465, 21 May 1948, Page 7

DISPLACED EXHIBITS

Dominion Museum and Art Gallery Await Renovation

HE National Art Gallery in Wellington has been given its first Director, Stewart Maclennan, A.R.C.A., but it is still debarred from returning home. Like the Dominion Museum, it awaits the re-conditioning of the big building at "Mt. Cook," which was largely given over to the military during the war. The National Gallery was in the worse position because it had to get out entirely. All its pictures, except a large one of Anzac Cove at the end of the tearoom, were removed. Some of them have been in storage ever since-quite a number of years; others have been exhibited at the temporary gallery at

the D.I.C. The Dominion Museum was seriously disturbed, but not thrown out, The exhibits remained in the building, but had to be crowded together. They were closed to the public, except to parties of school-children. And little or nothing could be done in the display of new material. This is still the position, and will be until the place is put in order by the Public Works Department at the expense of the Government. Art to the People The appointment of Mr. Maclennan as the Director of the National. Art Gallery is a step of great importance in the history of the Gallery and of art in New Zealand. He is, we believe, the first full-time professional director of a public gallery in this country. Every national gallery, every gallery of outstanding importance, has such a head. Mr. Maclennan will be more than a curator. He will be responsible for the care of the Gallery, but will be professional adviser to the management committee and the Board of Trustees, the body which controls both the National Gallery and the Dominion Museum. He is a practising artist, with a considerable experience in teaching art. Two years ago he went to the National Art Gallery as Education Officer, and as the Director he will continue to supervise this work. The. National Gallery sends out illustrated lectures on art to secondary schools. This service, which was started by Mrs. Murray Fuller, is part of a new conception of the place of an Art Gallery in the community. A gallery is not merely a place to which people come to see pictures, but it tries to instruct the public, both at the gallery and outside. The idea is that art

shall be-taken to the people. The temporary eviction of the National Gallery did not.stop this work of education. It has been carried on ever since from the temporary offices.in the D.I.C, building. This connection with the public, including lunch-time lectures, will. be extended when the "Gallery returns to its home. The National Gallery There is a danger in New Zealand that national institutions established in the capital shall be considered by other centres to be too local in their interests, A certain degree of localisation is unavoidable, and it happens that the National Gallery owes. a good deal to the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, which is the society of arts in Wellington, and in consequence the Academy has certain privileges in respect to the Gallery. Before the Dominion Museum and National Art Gallery block ~ was built, the Academy had its own gallery in the city, and in it a collection of pictures then worth £30,000. It offered to sell the property and give the proceeds and the collection of pictures to ‘the proposed National Gallery on two ‘conditions: that it should have a’ per‘manent home in, the new building, and that it should nominate a majority of members of the committee of management. These terms were agreed to. The Academy has its gallery in the National Gallery portion of the block, where, in ‘normal times, it holds its exhibitions, It nominates members of the committee, and also has representation on ,.the ‘Board: of Trustees, which is ultimately ‘responsible for both Museum and Gallery. | The Gallery is a national institution. The Academy claims that it has never taken a narrow view of its power of nomination to the management committee, but has chosen among its representatives persons from other parts of New Zealand. Moreover, it has now no permanent collection of its own. When the Academy buys a work of art it does not do so for itself, but for offer to the National. Gallery. And it has bought quite a number of works. The National Gallery includes the National Portrait Gallery, and already a _ considerable number of eminent New Zealanders are commemorated there. The rule is that a subject must have been dead for 10 years before his or her picture can be admitted,

The building, unfortunately not so accessible as one would wish, still looks noble from the outside, but inside much of it is sadly battered by office use in the war. Holes were driven in walls for intercommunication" ‘apparatus, and shelving nailed up on the fabric covering designed to provide the most suitable background for pictures. The museum rooms, overcrowded though they are, with staff working cramped among exhibits, are more cheerful looking than the empty, desolate, dirty pock-marked galleries. But, walking through the building again, one is impressed by its usefulness for its particular purposes. The large number of picture galleries and bays enable the authorities to segre« gate a group of pictures and so give them the necessary atmosphere and permit the public to study them undise turbed by works of a different kind. An overcrowded gallery is apt to confuse the visitor. The Museum, now directed by Dr. R. A. Falla (who succeeded Dr. W. B. Oliver some months ago), is considering adapting its long rooms to get a similar benefit. At present one room begins with ethnological exhibits and ends with animals, with other things in between, so that the visitor’s attention possibly wanders too much. It is thought the bay system would enable a better display to be made in a given subject and make it easier for the student to concentrate. The requisition of the building caught the Museum as it was getting into its stride-arranging its great mass of ma-« terial and training its staff. Though closed for ordinary purposes, it has care ried on its departments, to the benefit of many outside interests. One activity is the despatch of cases of exhibits tao schools. There is a new conception of the function of a museum, as there is of an art gallery. More pains are taken to bring the knowledge that it houses under the public’s notice. All the main New Zealand museums have their school dis« tricts. The Dominion Museum holds classes in the building for children Wellington city and sends exhibits round the province. The well-designed and equipped hall is frequently used for lectures on a wide range of subjects. There is still, however, much arrange ing of exhibits to be done. In the base ment is a lot of stuff that awaits des cision, the accumulation of many years, All the time that the Museum has closed, new material has been comi in, And there are big questions of poli (continued on next page)

DISPLACED EXHIBITS (continued from previous page) to be settled in the future by this and New Zealand’s other museums. How far shall they extend in the many fields of ever-widening knowledge? To show everything would be impossible. Will there be specialisation in the various centres? Where will special museums be put, such as technological displays, and collections illustrating the wars? Plans Prepared These, however, are matters for the future. What the Museum and Art,Gallery authorities want to know now is when they are going to get back. They have been out for some years; it is three years since the war ended. Naturally they are restive. Their work is being held up. Not only are these national collections being withheld from the people

of New Zealand, But if a visitor fron overseas is interested in our painting, of Maori carving, or New Zealand natural history, he has to be told that the national collections of these things, in the capital, can’t be seen. However, the Government’s re-conditioning has got to the stage of preparation of plans, making of estimates and approval. The National Gallery and the Public Works Department are discussing what covering material shall be put on the gallery walls. It is a question of what stuff is available, and cost. There seems to be a good prospect of the whole work being put in hand soon, when everybody will rejoice. There is the Royal Visit next year. Crowds will come to Wellington, and it would be a great pity if the cap- . ital were not able to throw open to them the doors of a completely renovated and re-established Dominion Museum and National Art Gallery. .

~Staff Reporter