DOI Heft:
No. 291 (June 1917)
DOI Artikel:Studio-talk
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.21263#0048
Studio- Talk
OTTAWA.—1916 was not an auspi- bition in Ottawa went. It felt thankful to retain
cious year for the National Gallery its offices, workshops, and storerooms. I hope
of Canada any more than it was for that this is a unique event in the history of art
art generally, except perhaps in the galleries. If it is not, all concerned have my
United States, where the flesh-pots have been sympathy. The spring of 1916 then found the
full and boiling over, but what it lacked in National Gallery of Canada with no premises
affluence it certainly made up in eventfulness and no prospect of any in the near future.
even if the events were but another drop in the -
cup of curtailment which was already getting For several years the trustees of the National
unpleasantly full. Gallery had been carrying out a system of loan
exhibitions of Canadian art to any art society or
Early in February the Parliament Buildings body capable of exhibiting them. In the
were burnt down, Ottawa possessed only one absence of home activities this system was
other building capable of accommodating the extended until during the year there were held
homeless parliamentarians
and that was the Victoria
Museum, in the east wing
of which the National
Gallery of Canada was
ensconced until such time
as the pressing need for
a National Gallery build-
ing should be recognized
One Friday morning came • \
orders that Parliament \
would reopeninthe ^ \.
Museum on the following n.
Monday and that all ex- ..___.^r^ \ \
hibits must be removed ~ / r~\ J
before that time. The // S * ~j j
task was terrific! The / j \ \
National Gallery pos- / I /
sessed nine galleries of / J /
pictures besides print- / \ *^±J /
rooms and halls of casts ___^ /
and sculpture. Extra /
labour was available but ^/
valueless, for casts how-
ever heavy are fragile, and
pictures more so, so it de-
volved upon the director
and a small staff to clear
the galleries and to place
in at least temporary
safety every object of
value. Night and day,
Sunday and weekday
were impressed into ser-
vice, and the fateful
Monday arrived and the
National Gallery of Canada
had passed out of exist- "head with closed eyes" drawing by joel j. levitt
ence as far as public exhi- (National Gallery of Canada)
32
OTTAWA.—1916 was not an auspi- bition in Ottawa went. It felt thankful to retain
cious year for the National Gallery its offices, workshops, and storerooms. I hope
of Canada any more than it was for that this is a unique event in the history of art
art generally, except perhaps in the galleries. If it is not, all concerned have my
United States, where the flesh-pots have been sympathy. The spring of 1916 then found the
full and boiling over, but what it lacked in National Gallery of Canada with no premises
affluence it certainly made up in eventfulness and no prospect of any in the near future.
even if the events were but another drop in the -
cup of curtailment which was already getting For several years the trustees of the National
unpleasantly full. Gallery had been carrying out a system of loan
exhibitions of Canadian art to any art society or
Early in February the Parliament Buildings body capable of exhibiting them. In the
were burnt down, Ottawa possessed only one absence of home activities this system was
other building capable of accommodating the extended until during the year there were held
homeless parliamentarians
and that was the Victoria
Museum, in the east wing
of which the National
Gallery of Canada was
ensconced until such time
as the pressing need for
a National Gallery build-
ing should be recognized
One Friday morning came • \
orders that Parliament \
would reopeninthe ^ \.
Museum on the following n.
Monday and that all ex- ..___.^r^ \ \
hibits must be removed ~ / r~\ J
before that time. The // S * ~j j
task was terrific! The / j \ \
National Gallery pos- / I /
sessed nine galleries of / J /
pictures besides print- / \ *^±J /
rooms and halls of casts ___^ /
and sculpture. Extra /
labour was available but ^/
valueless, for casts how-
ever heavy are fragile, and
pictures more so, so it de-
volved upon the director
and a small staff to clear
the galleries and to place
in at least temporary
safety every object of
value. Night and day,
Sunday and weekday
were impressed into ser-
vice, and the fateful
Monday arrived and the
National Gallery of Canada
had passed out of exist- "head with closed eyes" drawing by joel j. levitt
ence as far as public exhi- (National Gallery of Canada)
32