International studio (56.1915)

Permanent Collections for Small Museums

important of all, however, is a temperament sus-
ceptible to quality—the ability to feel instinctively
the truly great in contrast to the merely popular.
The possession of this intuitiveness is the only way
to know the art which is vital from that which
lacks significance or is made to flatter the vanity
of the unenlightened self-made man, art which
is merely the product of commercial prosperity;
for the academies and other institutions have
often been more liberal in their recognition of the
mediocre, than of the great, artist. Moreover, the
museum director must have the courage to defy
public opinion by selecting the best, since the
best is not usually popular.
The fact that an artist has received many deco-
rations and honours is not, by any means, conclu-
sive evidence that he is a master. The names of
half-a-dozen European painters could be men-
tioned who are discredited to-day even though they
possess more honours than all the really immortal
artists put together. As a matter of fact, the
honours usually go to the energetic business man
rather than to the true artist. The artist, be-
ing too busy creating, is oblivious to the public’s
taste, good or bad, whereas the business man is
producing only work which he knows the public
will buy, the proceeds of which help in many ways
to bring about official recognition. This condition
discourages and retards the production of the best
in all of the arts—particularly painting, sculpture,
literature and the drama, for true art has never yet
been created by exponents of either one of these
branches who contemplated and moulded their
work according to the fancies of their patrons.
The artist must express himself and his time and,
if he has confidence that he has something to say,
this he will do, and the value of his work will de-
pend upon the breadth and originality of his
outlook. There has always been a diversity of
opinion as to how much historical significance
should enter into the selection of works of art
for the permanent collection of a public museum.
With art museums of a national character, as,
for instance, the Metropolitan or the Boston,
Washington or Chicago Museums, there can be
little question that historical as well as aesthetic
comprehensiveness is imperative. In the smaller
museums this comprehensiveness has never been
carried out or seriously attempted. I believe,
however, that the smallness of a museum might be
an advantage in forming a collection of both his-
torical and aesthetic importance.

Of course, examples by the greatest masters
would not always be possible, but in all periods

Courtesy Ehrich Galleries
ST. JOHN BY ADRIAN ISENBRANDT


XXXIV