Show NATIONAL GLI EnY or OI ART 1 1 l G Gift U to NI Nation tu to tu lie le al at It W From Leila Lella Lel Mechlin's The Freer FI cr Collection Cot Col Cl lection of or Art In tile the January JanUar Century When on May In 5 Hi Mr Charles Charles' CharlesN L. L Freer ot of Detroit Mich gave to the re re- re S of oC the Smithsonian Institution u ut at 1 Washington to IL deed decd to 10 the collection of or printings and other works of oC art which for r ampi rc than twenty years year he had hall been getting to together the American people became be be- came heirs to a rich heritage So trl truly s' s Ir Indeed was ownership at that time trans- trans 1 f Z cited feltell eel that while Mr I. I c. c Freer retains the time i f i custody y of or the time collection during his life life- I- I tIn time me anti and pledges himself to ral raise Its Is value now estimated at J O to an even el- el I- I he cannot henceforth withdraw 00 hor It a single single- Item Iem With this I v cent gift furthermore went the promise prom prom- lad ise of plans an and for the erection of or a a gallery a-gallery galery as a permanent home with m c b only three thrle that this build build- luil- luil c. c f ing ng shall bear the time donors donor's name that it t shall thal bo lie perpetually maintained without if to his hits e estate tate and ami that aCer after his p 1 i death AJie he IC collection shall neither bo ho In- In J. J v cased cm-cased nor diminished These briefly 3 were time the tie terms lerms of oC the otter offer made L by Mr Mi h L' L t Freer In December DOt lWI und and accepted L by bythe J the regents nl at a u meeting held almost twelve later on December I 1 1 DOS 1905 and und They were manifestly generous generou should have left Ifft p little Ille room for misconstruction miscon miscon- e or debate but It I IB Is doubtful If even toda today their actual purport and tho the real value of or the gift Is II full ful fully com corn While the placing of timEs this collection In Washington ton la may be le considered the first Hrs step atoll toward the establishment of u a una na national national gallery of oC art nothing was wan WI further 1 from Mr 1 Ficera Freers mind mini than the time furnishIng furnishing furnish furnish- ing of or a nucleus for such sch an institution ills His HIt project its is unique and Is the outgrowth outgrowth outgrowth out out- growth of or long and deliberate rate thou thought lt and nn an OrigInal rl theory Great museums have he believes both bOlh their place and nd use ulc Art rt he acknowledges Is unbounded but small smal related collections setting forth I a n single unit win will wi ho he contends prove more available and In the end and it I K is one of oC these which he lie purposes purpose to establish I sincerely nil all al manifestations of art he has devoted himself himself him him- self exclusively to the collection of those alone which showed continuity of ot thought and ami were wr therefore peculiarly harmon harmon- lulls ious Gathering up imp 11 the thc loose and I broken threads of a 3 great embroidery lie lio 11 has 13 woven and anti Is weaving them Into a a. beautiful beautiful beu beau beau- wo en pattern which will wl e eventually dis dis- dis cover Its meaning to even cven the uninitiated and point students tu to the fountain of or alt all allart al art art time the simple truths Beginning with the works of ot Whistler this col collection cUon which I Is now the nations nation's runs buck back through h the paintings of or the tue greatest Chinese and Japanese Japanese- artst artists to 10 the earliest earlest Christian Christan era er und and then returns re re turns to the recent and und current curlent ProdUctions productions of ot our modern American artists Dwight W. W Tryon Thomas W W. Dewing end Abbott II I Thayer Including ln by the tIme theay say ay a thousand specimens pc of ot oriental pottery which through their tine fine cal Cl character proclaim an accordant genesis I. I i |