| Show I al How w a Pennsylvania Millionaire Is s Spending a Fortune o r the Futurists and Cubists NOT Insane and Teach 4 4 Us t to Admire Their Strange Works as He Does A ar r rw w 4 2 w wa a t 4 t r f fn n w j 4 I Ir t w wr L Lw r Y I rM r b w wi i K y r 1 Tye 1 M a I y y t r Q rk k pw i w a is JU U W f fM M G Ga J HA y j jw 1 w ft t te I f e 0 0 sG l hi ri 8 w v vy I y r a a y 1 L v h t tn ty r rs rh re n y lh K n fK rf s r f e y g Kf f f- f S t ty s d dg 1 y Y lr v ray v A cubist cubitt statue ofa of a but bather bather who would ever guess it The Flute Player a statue by Lip Lipschitz purchased by Dr Barnes a for the new museum w TE E ITA HAVE VE been told often of late w WE lata that the tho futurists cubists and other exponents of what a large section of 01 the public describes as crazy I art have had their that day day that the inter inter- interest interest interest est they aroused for a time was only a I 1 passing fad and that very soon now they will be either entirely forgotten or orI I remembered only only as curious examples of misdirected brain power But It teems that so far as America Is concerned they aro are not to be allo allowed ed to pass so easily into oblivion Dr Al- Al Albert Albert Al Albert bert C Barnes the Pennsylvania multimillionaire multi multi- multimillionaire millionaire has begun the expenditure of in the effort to perpetuate the fame of the modernist painters and sculptors in this country and if possible to stir the American people to the admiration ad- ad admiration ad admiration of their work ork which he thinks It deserves Through his liberality there will soon be enshrined in the United States the tho worlds world's largest and finest collection of modern modem art With it will be included rare specimens of primitive African art art J I which is said Bald to ha e inspired so many of the cubists and futurists and WhiCh in the tho opinion of some critics represents about the same mental standards But Dr Barnes admires these primi primitive tive masterpieces as much as he does the works of the most daring of the tho modern artists and ho wants to place them side Bide iY by y side in a museum where here the American people can learn to admire and love them as ad as he be himself does does Ground has already been broken in a suburb of Philadelphia for the magnificent cent building which is 18 to house this collection col- col collection col collection lection It will be known as the Barnes lwin Foundation and tho the millionaire is n lw in Europe spending a fortune in the purchAse of the pictures and statues he thinks should have a place in it Dr Barnes has long been one of the most enthusiastic admirers of the tho ex- ex extreme extreme ex extreme tendencies of modern modem art and a stanch defender of the men and women who follow them In fact tho the museum 4 is to be an enduring protest against the tho charges made some time ago by a group of famous to the effect that most of tho the cubist and futurist artists artiste are the unhappy victims of mental dis- dis disease die dis disease ease When the alienists declared much of this crazy art to be bo nothing more or orless orless less lesa than symptoms of mental degen degen- degeneracy degeneracy degeneracy Dr Barnes was as only a II modest col- col collector collector col collector lector of such works But he was so stirred with indignation by the alienists attacks that ho he at once began buying more and more moro of the cubists output 4 and finally accumulated a colle collection n num num- numbering numbering bering more morn than Items Stems By no means all the works in this col- col collection col collection lection were by artists whom the medi medi- medical medical cal 1 experts pronounced insane It in- in in included many by Gauguin Degas and Renoir who were specifically e exempted empted I o lU Lower New York Yorka a painting by Oleg i hin e the French cubi cubist t which promises to be oe o of the most dis- dis discussed discussed dis discussed cussed pictures in inthe inthe inthe the Barnes collection from the tho charges made by the alienists Only a afew afew afew few days ago Dr Barnes Baines announced that ho he is of- of offering of offering fering for Re Re- Re Renoir's noirs Ro-noir's noirs noir's Bathers the pie plC- pic picture turo ture about which a bitter controversy Is now raging in Paris The Tho painting represents represents about six nude bathers done in Renoir Renoir's customary striking col- col colors colors col colors ors says Dr Barnes It is about six feet wide oy four and a half halt feet high I saw it first at Nice in the summer of 1921 It was finished by him in 1919 The Th artist left his paintings to his three sons They chose Bathers as a g gift gift to t to 10 the Louvre because they belie believe e as asI asI asI I believe that it represents represent represents sent Renoir's greatest achievement hi in color so- so solidity solidity so solidity of form design movement and emotional content After the French gov gov- government gov- gov government government hade had e expressed pressed a desire to have a sample of Renoir's work to be placed in the Louvre last summer tho director of the tho gallery asked for a W f ff f t Below I a primitive i African art work that has U inspired many to t cubists cubist Y f fI I ii i A L LL Lf Li J L f J cw i 1 dr J 1 t I t L JN x 7 q i r 94 Aci AciN Acia r a a as s y N r r ia r rk rj re k J c j 3 e 1 a a 3 tOJ t- 1 q OJ x i 9 One Cf of the e examples of primItive African r sculpture which will f 4 k share v the magnificent cent museum with j the d dM most daring gk M works of modern modem ri artists y conference with n me to obtain my opinion upon the work to ha ba selected When the Bathers was t ithe the brothers were ere approached and ard agreed to offer it to the Louvre as II a memorial to their father Tho The offer was accepted and every everyone everyone everyone one thought the matter concluded until the tho announcement that do de deConstant deConstant Constant curator in chief of all nIl the tho na- na national national na national museums in France whose author author- authority authority authority ity is supreme in such lIuch matters Stated that the painting would first be hung In the tha Luxembourg Gallery and later bo be transferred to the Louvre There Thero was an immediate furore in art circles in Pans Paris and efforts were made to have havethe havethe the tho government rescind De Constants Constant's arbitrary stand The reason for tor not placing the Bath ers era in the Louvre immediately as agreed upon is generally understood to be fair feu fairon iron fe-iron on Do Constants Constant's part to place sucha such a darin daring and novel work ork among the old masters BO so soon after Renoir's death The champions of modern art among them Roger Fry Paul Pau Guillaume rIo rIo- I lo- lo rent Fels and Waldemar George have expressed them them- themselves themselves s selves freel freely concerning l the stupid policy of the French government These connoisseurs say the los loss of the painting to the Louvre IS 19 irreparable For Por the Renoir brothers have havo refused to submit to the tho change of plans and have havo withdrawn the offer The museum Dr Barnes is well cost a half million dollars and the value of the collection to be installed IS expected to reach cl close se to llo lIo will endow the Barnes Barncs Foundation with several millions of dollars to pro pro- provide provide provide vide for its maintenance nance and insure the tho purchase of notable new works by living artIsts This is regarded as the tho finest bit of encouragement ever given struggling struggling gling artists and Dr Barnes is hailed even by those who ho have no sympathy with the modernists as ns the II ait t worlds world's benefactor The buildings will be located on a o i ab 11 Fi J Mr t q zi IW I ii The 1 e Crossed t ft t Hands by Mo- Mo Mo Mo in which some critics think the theartist theartist theartist artist has given a faithful picture of ofa ofa ofa a woman inan in an advanced stage of decomposition twelve-acre twelve tract of land in Merion Menon fa- fa famous famous fa famous as the richest community in the United States It is located a few miles from Philadelphia on the main lne Ine of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the tract itself is a show place containing per per- perhaps perhaps per perhaps haps the best collection of rare and specimen trees in America At the tha pre present ent time the bulk of Dr Barness Barnes's art collection is hung in his home at Merion Marion which has lias come to re- re resemble resemble re resemble according to visitors tho the interior of the home homo of tho the late lato John G John John- Johnson Johnson son John son famous lawyer lawer and collector of old masters Like Mr Johnson Dr Barnes has been compelled to to utilize the walls i r 1 y yf yn f Kt'S i 1 n i id d fir q aF r s of hallways staircases and bathrooms to find space for all his paintings In announcing his intention n to build the museum Dr Barnes stated his pur pur- purpose purpose pose clearly elearly Primarily y he said the hope is as that every person of whatever station in l life e will be allowed to get his own reaction to whatever the foundation has to that means that ism Ism conformity to worn-out worn conditions counterfeits mart in art living and thinking can have no place in the intended of the foundation At other times the collector has been even more emphatic in ID his bis denunciation of those who attempt to set up rigid standards in art He points to his own experience as a d denial mal of the contentions of the conservatives Early in his life he ho became interested technical non-technical l Ile lesoon In art but in a way soon found that it was as surrounded with witha a sort of mystery and expressed in what nothing but jargon he asserted was I Dr Barnes had an idea which devel- devel developed devel developed with the years that art is primarily emotional and that every human being is capable of appreciating It according accordini to his own sensibilities All this led to the beginning of studies Barnes recognized that that have llave made Dr throughout the tho world as an authority j jn on n paintings although he ho still Insists insist that a technical knowledge is not necessary W to t appreciation In his museum museum he ho has set setout setout setout out to prove his point He became par par- particularly particularly emphatic about it at the time timothe the Ule group of noted brain specialists ma made o their attack on the modernist artists Tho The alienists concerned in that attack Included Dr Francis X Dercum who was as tta called In hi to treat trtat former President Wilson after the latter's collapse Dr Charles W Burr Dr J Madison Taylor and Dr Wilham W Rr Wadsworth All four tour of these medical exp experts as- as asserted as modernists that much of the tho work of the modernists unquestionably indicates men men- mental mental mental tal disorders Dr Wadsworth declared at the time the modernist exhibition was brought from New York to the Pennsyl Pennsylvania vania Academy of the Fine Arts at Philadelphia that he could in many In- In Instances instances In Instances stances tell the nature of an artists artist's brain disease by looking at one of 1115 his paintings He pointed to one painting and told art critics that the artist would betray a certain physical indication of his men men- mental mental mental tal condition and later insisted that he was as right The name of the artist of course was withheld together with the description of his infirmity I have seen Dr Dercum was quoted as saying sl the tha work of insane patients who lean toward art and 1 I will MIl say that the dra drawings of these Insane artists are far superior to the alleged If of art artI artI artI I saw at the exhibition Similarly emphatic and much more dl- dl di direct rest reet statements were Wele made by the other three physicians Dr Burr stated that th the different different schools of extremists each reflected a mental condition familiar to tl alienists Dr Wadsworth asserted tha that the thc modernist pain paintings as aa a rule sera ere im im destructive and dangerous an and that legal action should be taken to sup sup- suppress sup suppress press such works I think it worth while said Dr Barnes in answering answering the alienists to renew my offer to give the city of Phila Phila- Philadelphia Philadelphia delphia my entire collection of paintings and a suitable gallery to house them If Dr Dercum will qualify before Wore any rep rep- representative body to speak upon psychology or aesthetics Ishall I shall go further and include the offer to make the proposed gallery largo large enough to contain the collection left to the city by bythe bythe bythe the late John G Johnson Henry McCarter a modernist painter of Philadelphia but not by any means an extremist has this to say of the foundation The Barnes collection is I believe the best of its kind in the world I have never seen anything like it and I 1 admire especially the spirit with which Dr Barnes has haa amassed the tho collection About fifty years of Renoir's painting life are in the collection of his works They include still lites lifes land land- landscapes landscapes landscapes and figures With these as cor- cor cornerstones cor lOr cornerstones tho the collection includes v of Manet PU Pubis PUB B de Chavannes Degas Deps Van Gogh Matisse Picasso Marie Lau Lau- Lau r Glackens Ps tHayden Hayden KIssling and The latter is a young Russian l who was discovered by Dr Barnes His ills specialty is portraits which abich v bich seem to those those who have no knowledge of the in- in intricacies in intricacies of modern modem art tobo to bo those of persons in an advanced stis stage of ot o I lotion I r 1 |
