Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 15, 1961, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press Satu Dav a jail 15. 1961 Page ii Wing the Winnipeg Art gallery proud of its collection of l. L. Finger Ald s oils and water colors which makes it the largest collection of the member of the group of seven s works in a Canadian Art gallery. And be cause of the contribution of the women s committee of this collection of 28 water colors chalks and drawings the Winnipeg gallery can make this claim. For the first time in the to year history of the women s commit Omen 6 tee their acquisitions for the gallery totalling 235 pieces will be on display irom sunday until april 28. Two members on the committee at the time when the Fitzgerald s were purchased in 1956 and 1957 Are from left mrs. W. C. Hall holding a Mountain scene and mrs. Edmund g. Berry committee chairman for the last three years holding split tree trunk. To econ. Statues were not forgotten when it come to adding to the gallery collection. The women s committee was the first of give recognition to a number of artists outside of Manitoba. An example of this is the work of Anne Kahane typified in follow the Leader seen at the top and John Ivor Smith whose smiling head is seen at the left. Centre is animal group by Thomas Kainuma and the figure right in Terra Cotta standing is by Winnipeg s Leo Mol. A Olores pict ured for the past 10 years the women s committee of the Winni Peg Art gallery has spend 000 to give the gallery an out standing name in the Fields of contemporary Canadian Art the work of Lionel Lemoine Fitzger Ald and Eskimo Art. Sunday the first decade of its achievements will be on display for the first time until april 28. The committee plans to continue its emphasis in these Fields said mrs. Edmund g. Berry chairman unless a Good Opportunity in another Field comes along she said. Working in a systematic Way to. Spend their Money the com Mittee took an important step in 1956 by buying the works of Fitzgerald. His family had decided to sell his works and it looked As if they would go out of Winnipeg said mrs. Berry. We thought they should stay the following year More were added to the collection and in 1958 the Winnipeg collection added much to the memorial exhibition of Fitzgerald circulated by the National gallery. The committee s desire is to make Winnipeg the Centre for fitzgeral s works and also for Eskimo Art. In the latter Case they took advantage of another Opportunity to buy the George Swinton collection of Eskimo objects last year. Or. Ferdinand Eckhardt director of the gallery called their contemporary Canadian collection one which impresses the Spectator at first glance and also encourages Canadian artists. The gallery through the women s committee was the first to have a painting by Niagara list Tony Urquhart. All sections of the country Are represented in this collection As Well As artists from the Prairies. Works which do not fit into any of the three categories have also been bought by the commit tee. One is a David Milne land scape and another a Crayon drawing by f. H. Varley. These works of Art form part of the permanent collection of the gallery and some have to be crated away awaiting a big Ger gallery to be on display. Some of the collection goes on tour especially in the Western Art circuit. These purchases Are made by the committee in consultation with the gallery acquisitions committee or the acquisitions committee approaches the women s committee to see if it would lie willing to buy a cer Tain object. The women s committee had its beginning in 1949 when a Small group of women joined on sever Al occasions to arrange sales of the work of Canadian artists this is now the Winnipeg show and a number of works submit Ted for this were later purchased by the women s committee. In 1951 the Board of the Art gallery asked the women s com Mittee for help in a membership Campaign and it was then decided the women s group should form a regular Board. The pieces on display at the gallery Are Only a Concrete form of one of lie phases of the com Mittee s work. Their other ser vices to the gallery include the Winnipeg show the Art fair painting in the Park lessons for children visits to the schools picture rental Library study groups and contributions for equipment for the gallery and to the building fund As Well As assistance on social occasions. To or. Eckhardt the women s committee s greatest contribution has been its enthusiasm. L. The latest Purchase for the gallery is seven Eskimo prints which were bought in March at Cape Dorset. The committee is still looking for Eskimo Art forms to Odd to the collection to make Winnipeg a Centre for Arctic Art. Front left mrs Harris Skinner publicity chairman holds Hare spirits and. Mrs. H. M. Sharp recording Secretary fantastic owl. They will be added to the George swin ton Eskimo collection of 132 items seen in the Back ground recently purchased and also previous carvings had acquired. Mrs. P. A. Chester right the first chairman holds the first picture the group purchased in 1953, still life by Goodrich Roberts. Mrs. A. C. Abbott left who was a me norber at the time and chairman from 1954 to 1957 looks at another of their acquisitions which Falls into the contemporary Canadian category of their purchases it is landscape by Montreal artist Jacques de Tonnancour. On the left is a 1954 Purchase which created a Contro Versy because of its harsh colors and distortion. William Mccloy s and Peter followed afar off shows a series of events in St. Peter s life ;