UNESCO - Miscellaneous Articles

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Museum

Vol V, n 3, 1952

Miscellaneous articles

Articles divers


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MUSEUM,uccessor to AIoiueion,is published by theUnited Nations Educational, Scient& and CulturalOrganization in Paris. Lfussmserves as a quarterlysuiiregof activities and means of research in the fieldof museopphy. Opinions expressed hy individual

. contributors are not necessarily those of Unesco.hkeEwhf, qui sucdde k hfoukw, est publit5 &Parisp u lOrganisation des Nations Unies pour ldu-cation, la science et la culture. MWSEUM,evue tri-mestrielle, est & la fois un priodique dinformationet un instrument de recherche dans le domaine de lamusiogmphie. Les opinions exprimries par les auteursne reflktent pas nkessairement celles de lUnesco.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD/ C O M ~E W ~ A C T I O N

Selim Abdul-Hak, Damas. -Naji al Azil, Baghdad.Torsten Althin, Stockholm. - Leigh Ashton,London. -Martin Baldwin, Toronto. - Luan Boribal

Buribhand, Bangkok. - Julien Cain, Paris.Maurice Chehab, Beyrouth. - Cheng Te-Kun,

Chen@. - Laurence Vail Coleman, Washington.Harold S. Colton, Flagst&. - Daniel Defenbacher,hfinneapolis. - Nicolas Delgado, Quito.

P. Deraniyagala, Colombo. - JO& IQsteli62Ljubljana. - Gottfried W. Locher, Leiden.

August Loehr, Wen. - H. O. hfcCurrya Ottawa.Kasimir Michalowski, Warszawa. - Jiri Neustupnya

Praha. - Frans Olbrechts, Tervuren.Tahrin Uz, Istanbul. -Albert E. Par, New York.A. R. d o l d , Sydney. -Nicolas Platon, Herakleion.Eduardo Quisumbing, Manila. -Daniel Catton Rich,

Chicago. - Paul Rivet, Paris. - D. C R&,Amsterdam. - Daniel F. Rubin de la Borboh,

Mexico, D.F. - Georges Salles, Paris.W. J. H. B. Sandberg, Amsterdam.

Malik Shams, Lahore. - Hamid Sirry,Giza.Philippe Stern, Paris. - Georges Stout, Worcester.

Bengt Thordeman, Stockholm.Achille Urbain, Paris. - Luis E. Valcarcel, Lima.Jase Valladares, Bahia. - Yukio Yashiro, Tokyo.

Femanda Wittgens, Milano.

BOARD OF EDITORS / COMITBBE REDACTIONHonoraryMember1 Rdactrict bonoraire:

President/ Prtfsident: nd6 LbeillriTb8 Hmdof the hfus~~nzsnd HistoricMonme&Ditision1UnescoI Le chEfds la Diviski desmufe ettnonmmntsbisforiqttes de1Unesco: J.K. van der HaagenTb8 Directorof the ItiternatonalCoMNcjl o f j l f t tsetm 1Le &rectwrdu Coml international desmustkr:

Georges Henri Rivikre

Cwre@ondemet o : Raymonde Frin, Edtor, Pro-ErammeSpecialist,Bfrrsewnsand HistoricMonunaents

Divison,UnescoAdressmla correspondamed : aymonde Fria, md-toke de rbdacfion,@tialisteduprogramme,Dirision

des mttsies et mommentrbistorquef,Unesto

CONSULTATIF

e

Ivf u S E u MEach number : r.ja-6s. Annual subscription raw4 issues or corresponding double issues) : 5 or 21s.

Le numk o : r. 300. Abonnement annuel 4 num&ros ou numkos doubles tquivalents) : fr. I.oao.

Editorial and Publishing Offices / Ridaction etBdition : Unesco, 19, av. Neber, Paris-16*, France.

A

PCOM has decided to g m t subscribers to Mwesmfa 5 0 % discount on the subscription to om N m( 2 and ros. instead of 4 and SI). his favourhowever cannot be extended to subscribers whohave already been gmnted a discount. / Pardkcision de PICOM, une rkduction de joo/:, estaccordke aux abonns k MusEuafsur le prisdabonnement A Im7n Nms (fr. 100 au lieu de

fr. 1.000). Cet avantage ne peut sajouter B unerbduction d6jA consentie.NESCO. PUBLICATION CUA. 52.11. 18. AF.


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R E NVAT IO N O F M U S E U M S

HE museums in the German Federal Republic lost approximately five per cent ofT their total collections as a result of the war. This purely quantitative estimate,which should be regarded as too high rather than too low, does not however giveany idea of the value of the individual and frequently irreplaceable works of artthat were lost. Considering the tremendous war damage suffered by the country ingeneral, such a low figure is evidence of the successful measures taken to protectcultural property. Nevertheless, experience has shown that such measures must be rsupplemented by international agreements, especially in order to prevent encroach-ments on national rights after the end of hostilities.

The greatest losses are those suffered by the museums in the Eastern Zone, notonly as a result of military operations. The Dresden museums today possess practi-cally nothing but the remnants of former collections ; he Gotha Museum has all butvanished; and Leipzig has lost all its most precious works of art. The Berlin museumsand storehouses have also lost almost everything; generally speaking, only theobjects which were stored in the West have been saved.

After the dtbcle, the major concern was t o preserve what had been saved. Theshelters were under the direct control of the occupying forces. German museums aregreatly indebted to the American, British and French officers in charge of culturalmatters for the help they received from them. But it was for the Germans themselvesto take up this work actively-all the more imperative since it offered a rare oppor-tunity of restoring or renewing human and spiritual standards. Despite a chaoticsituation, mutual mistrust, uncertainty, hunger, great material and spiritual want,and lack of communications, the first cultural activities were organized as earlyas 1945-a small concert, a modest exhibition of modern paintings, etc. It was lar-gely owing to French initiative that these activities were developed. Fruitful co-operation was soon established; it resulted, for instance, in a series of 28 exhibitionsin Baden-Baden and Freiburg between 1946 and 1948; many of these were of defi-nitely international standard, and not a few were shown in several other towns aswell.1 The German museums co-operated in these activities and lent a number ofexhibits; at the same time, they themselves exhibited in improvised premises modernart or, alternatively, works of art which had been sheltered in churches and restoredbefore being returned to their original settings. Only very rarely was museum spaceavailable, as almost all the museums in the Federal Republic had been more or lessdestroyed or put t o other uses.

Reconstruction was hampered by very great difficulties. Prior to the currencyreform in 1948, i t was almost impossible to procure even small quantities of buildingmaterial, as the contracting authorities could not, materially or morally, pay blackmarket prices. Artisans and workers preferred to work in country districts or some-where else where they could obtain food or other supplies in addition to their wages.Public buildings essential to the nations life-hospitals, schools, universities, admi-nistrative offices, etc.-were urgently needed and had to be given priority, and housesand flats were the first requirement of all, since approximately ten million peoplewere at that time living in cellars and huts. Prior to 1948, therefore, very few mu-seums were rebuilt, and it was only after the currency reform and the resulting stabili-zation of living conditions that it was possible to develop their reconstruction ona larger scale. Today, most museums once more possess a number of exhibitionrooms; and many of the institutions, including some that were very seriouslydamaged, are, or will be before the end of the present year, functioning normally.

In certain cases, temporary solutions have been adopted. The Museum fr Kunstund Iiulturgeschichte, of Dortmund (jg.2 displays its main works and exhibitionsin Schloss Kappenberg ; he Schleswig-Holsteinisches Landesmuseum has been trans-ferred from IGel to Schloss Gottorf; the Mainfrnkisches Museum in Wrzburg(fig.3 ) has been housed in the Feste Marienberg; and the Folkwang Museum in

Essen is exhibiting its collection of French and German masters in Schloss Hugen-

I N G E R M A N Y

by ] C U R T MARTIN

I. Despite the dificulries in obtaining paper andstereotype blocks, catalogues were issued fur allthese exhibitions; most of theni were highly illus-trated and of a high scientific standard.

M U S E U MV O L . V I N O 1 9 5 2


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poet. Although all these castles are situated outside the towns, the museums attractmore visitors than they did when they were in the towns themselves. For this reasonFeste Marienberg and the Schloss Gottorf will be used as permanent museum build-ings. As a home for the famous Kasseler Galerie, Schloss Wilhelmshhe is beingconsidered, although considerable restoration work will first have to be done.

In regard to the less seriously damaged museums, the question whether theyshould be restored or entirely rebuilt presented no di%culty; but even in the caseof seriously damaged buildings, it soon became clear that, where the foundations

had not been destroyed, it would be much cheaper to make use of the ruins than toconstruct entirely new edifices. Moreover, there was the factor of tradition, makingfor the retention of museums in their generally good posiuon within the towns. Itwould have been impossible, at least without enormous expenditure, to acquire newbuilding-land possessing the same advantages. Consequently, no completely newmuseum building has yet been constructed in Germany.

Only Cologne has definite plans for the erection of an entirely new building-forthe Wallraf-Richartz Museum (jgx.J a, t? . Five architects were invited to compete,and their respective plans were exhibited and discussed publicly. The plan submittedby Rudolf Schwarz and Josef Bernard was considered by experts to be the best.lThenew building, which is to be erected on the museums original site, will containonly the picture-gallery and the print-room. The important Roman-German section,which is of special local interest, will be made into a separate, independent museum.

It is also planned later on to house the collections of modern art in a separate build-ing. Thus the idea of a general museum for this town has been discarded for thatof several smaller institutions, each of limited scope and displaying not too exten-sive collections. The building programme contemplates, in addition to large andsmall exhibition-rooms, a study gallery, rooms for engravings and the library,an auditorium, a visitors resting room which will also be used for the display ofnew acquisitions and smaller exhibitions, a refreshment room, administrative offices,and workshops. What was sought was modern, but not modernistic, architecturewhich would serve as a suitable, unobtrusive background for the works of artthemselves. Accordng to modern theories the plans for new buildings should pro-vide for continuous circuit as well as for the inspection of groups of rooms ; but whatis remarkable from the standpoint of museum technique is the attempt to ensure aconstant and striking contrast between rooms of different height (3 to 7 metres), sizeand lighting. There is a desire to avoid a monotonous succession of rooms of likecharacter, and to provide lighting similar to that for which the pictures were origin-ally intended. The question whether there should be &ed or changeable room-space, which could be adapted to any future increases in collections, and the problemwhether uniform lighting should not be preferred to contrasting light, will probablybe examined more closely before the plan is carried into effect.

While innovations were thus being considered in Cologne, an exact reconstruc-tion of the house in which Goethe was born was erected in Frankfurt (j~. ) . Thisprovoked some sharp criticism, especially from architects of the modern school,who described it as theatrical and a lieas to the present time. The museum authoritieswere able to reply that only a faithful reproduction could properly recreate the atmos-phere in which Goethe lived. Moreover, it was possible to vouch or the fidelity ofthe reconstruction, as every movable object and everything which could be dis-mantled had been placed in security and saved; and a careful copy had been taken oeverything it was impossible to remove to safety. In reconstructing the building, thetechniques used by the xvmth-century artisans were faithfully followed; thus thewindow-panes were blown according to ancient methods, and the slates for the roofwere all fashioned by hand. But the main point was the original furniture of such ahouse could never of itself have satisfied the requirements of a museum. It wouldhave had no significance apart from the domestic environment, which Goethe des-cribed, in addition to the reconstruction of the house, in Dirhtmgzmd Wahrheitjustas vividly as the impressions which he received from that environment. As not oneof the old patrician houses of Frankfurt survived the war, there was a natural desireto record for posterity at least one example of the home-life of a well-to-dopatrician family.

The Goethe museum proper, which is to house the various collections and the

2. Plans were published i n Baue,2Ravensburg, 7, No. 3, 1952, p. 121.

lvohflef2,

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extensive library and will be ready before the end of the present year, will be attachedto the Goethehaus, as in the past. Visitors follow a continuous circuit, and themuseum is built round an open courtyard in which they can rest. The costs of recon-struction were covered by voluntary contributions, and the Federal Postal Depart-ment, forits part, issued a special Goethe stamp.

The question whether the Alte Pinakothek in hiunich should be demolished and

I. LVRTTE~~BERGISCHES ~ N D E S h f U S E U m Stuttgart,

Altes Schloss. A room in the Roman section.r. Salle de la section romaine.

replaced by a modern building, or simply reconstructed in its original style, has beenthe subject of keen discussion in Germany. The Xlte Pinakothek built in 1830 byKlenze was certainly one of the best museum buildings of the xIxth century. Thearchitectural appearance of the ruins themselves is so noble that they have rightlybeen described as one of the most important monuments of their time. Moreover,this building is almost a symbol of Munich's tremendous cultural development ofthat city in the first half of the last century. The outer walls still remain, bu t the

stone of the ornamentation had even before the war so crumbled away. hat consi-deration will have to be given not merely to restoring isolated pieces of it, but toreconstructing the entire southern fasade, over 90 metres long. Consequently, somemaintain that such a superb piece of architecture should be preserved, and regardany other view as sacrilegious; while others consider that the old gallery, fine asit was, has, with the damage suffered, reached the end of its term. Though it isrecognized that solutions to problems of exhibition had been found which mightbe. improved by slight alterations, there is a general feeling that a break must bemade with museum plans dating from 1830, since these correspond neither topresent nor to future needs. It is claimed that Munich should show, through a mo-dern museum building meeting present-day requirements, that it can lay downfresh cultural foundations. It is generally agreed that the Neue Pinakothek, whichwas completely demolished, should be rebuilt in modern style. However, as this will

not be undertaken for some considerable time, no plans have yet been prepared for it. I47


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New buildings for museums will haveto be erected in other German townswithin the next few years, as soon aseconomic and social conditions permit.Up to the present,' new experiments inmuseum technique have been made onlyon avery small scale-in so far as technicaland financial resources have enabled them

to be applied to the reconstruction ofruined buildings. They have been limitedto improvements in day-lighting, theoccasional installation of air-conditionequipment, artificial lighting, dressing ofwalls, safety and repair equipment, andequipment in general.

Technical factors, however, are lessimportant than the ideas that, onceadopted, enable a museum to play a realpart in the life of a community. Thedesire to indicate the present-day signi-ficance of the various collections is almost

everywhere perceptible in the more or less successful attempt to avoid historicalemphasis. Lack of room-space has favoured this tendency of museums to being nolonge; purely scientific, but general and educational. This does not obviate the needfor scientific work and research, or for the preservation and increase of collections.The obvious function of a museum is however no longer simply to conserveobjects, but to exhibit them, make them effective, and indicate the present-daysignificance of the originals (jgs. r, 6, 7, o, II).

Social changes have made private collections increasingly a thing of the past. Themuseum, therefore, is for the overwhelming majority of people the only opportuni tyof acquainting themselves with works of art at first hand. A careful selection of theexhibits and the various ways of displaying them is instrumental in setting standardsthat guide visitors and enable them to form their own judgment. The responsibilityto the public that the museum must assume in making such a selection shouldnot, therefore, be taken lightly, particularly as the establishing of a relationshipbetween the present and the past-a past whose virtue is understood in a clearerlight-enables a practical and active balance to be struck. In view of the spiritualcrisis through which we are now passing, all efforts in that direction are justifiedin advance.

In all German museums, quality has been preferred to quantity. The rooms arevery simply arranged; fabrics, however desirable, are scarcely ever used for coveringwalls; and use has been made of wall paper, paint or varnish, or finely granulatedplaster, which unobtrusively brightens up surfaces and, when glazed with lightly-tinted whitewash, provides good backgrounds, particularly for mediaeval works.The policy of uniformly light-coloured walls has been abandoned in favour of dis-creet shadings ; occasionally there is a tendency to use more pronounced colouring.

Efforts have been made to arrange each room as a unit i n which individual objectsare set off to their best advantage. Pictures and other exhibits are well spaced out.Homogeneous pictures, altar-paintings, for instance, are exhibited together and not,as is often th6 tendency with pictures of the same shape, broken up. Thus in Germanmuseums a free rhythmical presentation is often preferred to the strictly symmetricalone that finds favour, for instance, in France.

Unlike the average American museum, which exhibits the most varied types ofcollections, the European tradition of separating the different subject-fields has beencarried on into the postwar period. There is a preference for a number of museumseach of which is complete in itself and it is believed that this solution is more effectivethan a single museum that exhibits all kinds of collections. Thus, apart from smallmuseums (in whose case a separation of fields would be meaningless) the Germ%nisches niIuseum in Nrnberg alone will, after its complete restoration, still give a

general picture of evolution in all fields; in this case emphasis will be placed on

2. MUSKUMOR KUNST ND KULTURGESCHICHTE,Dortmund, nojv housed in Schloss Kappenbergber Lnen. Mediaeval Art Section. Use of anhistorical building distant fiom the town.2. Muse install actuellement au chteau de Kap-penberg-sur-Lnen. Section de l'art d u moyen ge.Utilisation d'un difice historique CloignC de la ville.


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the unity, not merely the outstandingindividual features, of the history ofculture. In the same way, the DeutschesMuseum in Munich gives a comprehen-sive picture of technical evolution.

The National-Socialist dictators causedthe gravest damage to the modern collec-tions of German museums. In 1938,1,4jooil-paintings and plastic works, and morethan 10,700water-colours , drawings andengravings were expropriated from I O Imuseums, and many of them were sold;finally, more than 1,000 paintings andover 3,800drawings and engravings werewantonly destroyed.

Today, extensive selected collectionsof modern art have once again beenformed in Cologne, Munich, Hamburgand Mannheim. In all other museumswhich have been entrusted with the sametask, efforts are being made to fill thegaps and re-establish the connexion with the present day, although up to now thishas been possible only with respect to German, not foreign, modern art. Even themost important museums receive no foreign currency for the purchase of newexhibits; they are cut off from the international market, with the result that theyare unable to show the unity of modern Western art except by means of temporaryexhbitions. This is all the more regrettable in that the German public, especially inpresent circumstances, should be kept in constant touch with the modern art ofother countries. There is no need, here, to emphasize the role of museums in thedevelopment of international understanding.

Certain museums of applied art, while mindful of the purpose for which the$ wereoriginally established, have given it new significance. They were set up in order toexhibit collections of models from which skilled artisans could, according to thetastes of their day, make copies or draw inspiration. When the cult for history beganto wane, these collections were more or less arbitrarily limited, so as to terminatewith the late classical period. Today, emphasis is again being placed on the originalmodels, but in the form of simple and plastically beautiful implements, as they haveexisted in all periods and civilizations. Plastic beauty alone is taken into account, andthe main object is to educate, not to offer models for mere reproduction. These specialmuseums, which have existed in Stuttgart and Munich for some considerable time,exhibit not only objects from the past, but also excellent modern and even manu-factured ones. Owing to the new tendencies, similar sections (jg. 9 ) are beingincorporated in other museums ; hey are, indeed, essential to the proper dischargeof a museums social task.

In all important German museums it was always the practice to organize a succes-sion of temporary exhibitions, lectures and conducted visits (even for schoolchildren),but the organization and equipment necessary for regular and methodical instructionwere lacking. Such instruction has now been begun in Niirnberg, Munich andKarlsruhe-but merely as an experiment, for no real experience has yet been acquiredin this field. The Bayerisches Nationalmuseum in Munich now has a study-roomin which visitors may, on request, be shown exhibits forming part of the reserve col-lections; books, periodicals and other research material are also placed at their dis-posal; and lectures and regular courses are given. The Germanisches Museum inNrnberg has adopted a similar policy; but teachers are first consulted as to thesubjects to be dealt with in the lectures and courses, and these visits to the museumare included in the school programmes. The aim is the same -to convey visual expe-rience through the presentation of original works of art. At the Staatliche ICunsthallein Karlsruhe @f 8) , a different method has been adopted. Here, as in Americanmuseums, the educational section has its own rooms for exhibitions and lectures. A

collection of slides and large reproductions is being built u p; and there is already a

3 , MAINFRNKISCHES usEubr, Wurzburg, nowhoused in the Feste Marienberg. Wine-press hallwith wine-presses and Guild banners. Use of a his-torical building in the vicinity of a town.j. hiuste install& actuellement dans la Feste hla-rienberg. Cellier avec pressoirs et bannikres desmitiers. Utilisation dun Cdifice historique d s i ndune ville.

. I. Rave, Paul Ortwin : Kmsfdif~furm drifimReich,Hamburg, 1949.

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4 . GOETHEHAUS,rankfurt-am-Main.tion of the original building.f. Reconstitution de la maison natale

R E N O U V E A U

considerable stock of interchangeable frames. Schools and teachers can by arrange-ment borrow any objects which they deem necessary for teaching purposes. Themuseum itself organizes exhibitions in the rooms of the educational section, or offersto send them to the schools. Smaller exhibitions are sent to the village schoolsthroughout the district. In addition to these efforts to further visual education,schoolchildren are encouraged to visit the museum itself. Every year, children whoare leaving school are invited to a fte; after a short concert, they visit the gallery andcan ask members of the staff for any information they need. On the whole, this me-thod has proved very successful; many children and other young people no longershun the museum, but exercise their r ight to visit it free of charge. In order to increasethe number of teachers interested the teachers themselves have organized, in the mu-seum's educational section, free and optional special courses for their colleagues. Ithas been possible to transfer some of the courses for student teachers of drawing fromthe lecture-room to the museum itself, where practical examination in class-teachingare also taken. Efforts are made to exercise an influence on teaching and its methodsthrough exhibitions of school work and through competitions for children. Archivesfor children's drawings, built up on an educational and psychological basis are desi-gned to serve the same purpose. The extent to which the school authorities are co-operating in all this is a matter for special satisfaction.

A museum's success is usually judged by the number of its visitors. The Germanmuseums which have been reconstructed receive more and, in many cases, consider-ably more visitors than they did before the war. Statistics show which museumsare particularly active, which of them are for instance visited mainly by tourists, etc.They also show that the public does not greatly appreciate arrangements that aremerely of a temporary nature. Thus one museum has, since its complete reconstruc-tion, received almost twice as many visitors as it received in the past, although allits masterpieces were previously on view. The success of a museum cannot, however,be judged from statistics alone, as no purely quantitative estimate can indicate theimpression that a museum makes on its visitors.

A good deal more might, no doubt, be said; but what we have recorded in thisarticle is significant, in that the reconstruction and revival of German museums heredescribed has taken place within a pedod of four years. The will to cultural achieve-ment is revealed more clearly in this than in the nature of what remains to be done.

( Trada ted~on.2German.)

Reconstitu-

de Gethe.

D E S M U S E S A L L E M A G N EES pertes causes par la guerre aux collections des muses de la RpubliqueL fdrale d'Allemagne sont estimes en moyenne 5 yo.Mais cette estimation

-purement quantitative et plutt trop leve -ne donne pas une ide de la valeurdes objets isols rop souvent irremplasables ui ont t perdus. Si l'onconsidre les destructions immenses subies par le pays en gnral, ce chiffre confirmele succs des mesures qui avaient t prises pour la protection des biens culturels.

L'exprience a toutefois dmontr la ncessit de complter ces mesures par desconventions internationales destines parer en particulier aux actes arbitrairessurvenus aprs la fin des combats. Les dommages les plus graves, qui ne sontd'ailleurs pas uniquement dus la guerre, ont t infligs aux muses situs dans lazone est. Les colle'ctions de Dresde ne consistent plus gure qu'en quelques restesdes anciennes possessions. I1 en est de mme pour le Muse de Gotha. Leipzig aperdu tous les objets les plus prcieux. Les muses et rserves de Berlin ont gale-ment perdu presque tout. En gnral, seuls ont pu tre sauvs les objets qui avaientt m i s en scurit l'ouest.

Aprs la dbcle, le premier souci fut de prserver ce qui avait t pargn. Lesabris taient contrls par les puissances d'occupation. Les muses allemandsdoivent beaucoup l'aide et l'appuides officiers amricains, anglais et fransaischargs des services des arts. Mais la mise en valeur des biens culturels devait

cependant tre l'uvre des Allemands eux-mmes, et c'tait l une entreprise

par K U RTMARTIN


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d'autant plus urgente que s'offrait uneoccasion exceptionnelle d'tablir ou derenouveler des critres humains et spiri-tuels. Malgr la situation chaotique, lamCfiance universelle, l'inscurit, la f a h ,la pnurie, la disette matrielle et spiri-tuelle, le manque de moyens de commu-nication, les premires manifestationsculturelles furent organises ds l'anne194j : un concert, une modeste exposi-tion de tableaux modernes, etc. Cesdbuts furent particulirement favorisspar l'initiative fransaise. Bientt s'instituaune collaboration grce laquelle, de1946 1948, non moins de 28expositionsont pu aroir lieu - ar exemple Baden-Baden et Fribourg. Certainesatteignirent un niveau international, etun grand nombre purent tre prsentesdans plusieurs villesl. Les muses alle-mands collaborrent ces expositions etprtrent leurs collections. Paralllementils exposrent eux-mmes des uvresd'art moderne dans des salles improvises,ou des objets d'art mis l'abri dans lesglises et qui avaient t restaurs avantleur retour dans leur lieu d'origine. Onne pouvait que dans des cas trs raresdisposer de salles de muse, puisque surle territoire fdral tous les btiments demuse avaient t plus ou moins dtruitsou affects d'autres fins.

La reconstruction rencontra des di&-

cults extraordinaires. Jusqu' la rformemontaire de 1948, il tait presque impos-sible de se procurer des matriaux deconstruction mme en quantits modestes,tant donn que les autorits contrac-tantes ne pouvaient et ne devaient payer des prix de march noir. Artisans et ouvriersprfraient travailler la campagne ou toucher en plus de leur salaire des vivresou d'autres denres. Les constructions indispensables pour la vie publique : hpitaux,coles, universits, btiments d'administration avaient la priorit et le plan social deconstruction d'habitations primait tout : approximativement dix millions d'hommesvivaient alors dans des caves ou dans des baraques. Rares sont donc les musesdont la reconstruction a pu commencer avant 1948. Ce n'est qu'aprs la rformemontaire et grce la stabilisation des conditions de vie qui en rsultait que la

reconstruction des muses put tre effectue sur une plus grande chelle. Aujour-d'hui, la plupart des muses disposent au moins de quelques salles d'exposition. Uncertain nombre, et parmi eux des muses fortement touchs, ont t remis en pleineactivit, ou le seront avant la fin de cette anne.

Quelques instituts ont adopt des solutions provisoires. Le Museum fr IQ"und I


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comme institutions permanentes. En ce qui concerne la clbre ISasseler Galerie,on envisage de labriter au chteau de Wilhelmshhe, bien que les destructionsdues la guerre y rendent ncessaires dimportants travaux de rfection.

Si un muse ntait que peu endommag, il ny avait pas se demander sil fallaitle restaurer ou procder une construction entirement nouvelle. Mme dans le casde btiments gravement touchs, lutilisation des ruines revenait moins cherquune construction nouvelle condition que lquilibre statique nen ft pascompromis. En outre, les muses taient presque toujours bien situs en ville et leur

emplacement consacr par la tradition. 11 aurait t ou impossible ou trop onreuxde leur trouver un site equivalent. Pour ces raisons, il ny a pas eu jusqu prsentde nouveaux btiments de muse en Allemagne.

Cologne a t la seule ville projeter une construction entirement nouvellepour le Wallraf-Richartz Museum (jg. J rr, b) . Cinq architectes ont t invitset les rsultats du concours ont t exposs et discuts publiquement. Les expertsont donn la prfrence au projet labor par Rudolf Schwarz et Josef Bernardl . Lenouveau muse, riger lancien emplacement, ne doit abriter que la galerie detableaux et les collections destampes. La section romano-germanique, collectionimportante et essentielle Cologne, sera constitue en un muse autonome. Pourplus tard, on envisage de loger les collections dart moderne dans un btiment part. On a donc abandonn le principe du muse gnral en faveur de plusieursmuses distribus travers la ville et ayant chacun un domaine dtermin, avec descollections moins vastes. Le programme comporte, ou tre les salles dexposition, deslocaux dtudes pour les collections destampes et pour la bibliothque, un audi-torium, une salle de repos pour les visiteurs permettant en outre de montrer lesnouvelles acquisitions et de petites expositions, un salon de th, des bureaux et desateliers. Larchitecture devait tre moderne, mais fonctionnelle et discrtementsubordonne aux Oeuvres dart exposes. I1 va sans dire, puisquil sagit dun projetnouveau, que dans son organisation le plan devait prvoir un sens de la circulationpermettant aussi la visite de groupes de salles restreints. Au point de vue de la

. technique musale, le projet se distingue par lide dune srie contraste de picesde hauteur (3,jo m 7 m), de grandeur et dclairage diffrents. On aimerait viterune succession monotone de salles uniformes et lon voudrait montrer les tableauxsous un clairage proche des conditions pour lesquelles ils ont t crs. On exa-minera certainement fond, avant la mise en chantier du projet, le problme dela grandeur fixe ou variable des salles, cette dernire pouvant sadapter la crois-sance indterminable de la collection, de mme que la question de savoir si leffetd un clairage uniforme nest pas prfrable limpression changeante dclairagesvaris.

Tandis qu Cologne on cherche des solutions nouvelles, la reconstruction de lamaison natale de Gthe Francfort (jg. 4) a t une copie fidle jusquau moindredtail. Solution vivement attaque, surtout de la part darchitectes modernes quiont qualifi une telle copie de thtrale et de mensonge envers le prsent. Ladirection du muse rplique en disant que seule une copie fidle tait apte rendresensible et prsente latmosphre qui fut celle o GOethe vcut. La fidlit de lacopie tait assure par le fait que tous les meubles et toute la dcoration intrieureavaient t misen lieu sr et sauvs. Tout ce qui tait inamovible avait t inventoriavec le plus grand soin. Pour la reconstitution, on a fait appel aux techniquesartisanales du X V I I I ~ icle. On a fait souffler les vitres lancienne fason, et chacunedes ardoises du toit a t fasonne la main. Argument principal: le mobilierbourgeois dune telle maison na pas la qualit que devait exiger un muse. II nesignifierait rien sil ntait plac dans lambiance intime que dcrit Gthe dansDichtwg .wzd Wa h h i t ,en y parlant galement et de manire aussi vivante de lareconstruction de cette mme maison et de linfluence que ce milieu a exerce surlui. etant donn quaucune des vieilles maisons bourgeoises de Francfort nasurvcu la guerre, on a tenu transmettre la postrit au moins un exempleet prcisment celui-ci e lhabitation dun bourgeois ais. Le Gthemuseumproprement dit, qui sera destin aux collections et la grande bibliothque, et quidevra tre termin avant la fin de cette anne, sera, comme auparavant, contigu lamaison de Gthe. Cest un muse circulation dtermine, construit autour dune

cour non couverte o les visiteurs peuvent se dtendre. La reconstruction a dail-

I. Les pub&s dans Bal,cfiI,tzdFohtzeiz,Ravensburg, 7, no 3 1912, p. 121.

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leurs t finance par souscription volontaire et la Poste fdrale avait mis cetteoccasion un timbre spcial leffigie de Gthe.

Une vive discussion se poursuit en Allemagne quant la question de savoirsi lAlte Pinakothek Munich doit tre dmolie et remplace par un btimentmoderne ou reconstruite dans le mme style. LAlte Pinakothek construite en 1830par Klenze a certainement t un des meilleurs btiments de muse du X I X ~ icle.LJaspect architectural des ruines mmes est dune dignit telle quon a pu les dcrire juste titre comme un des monuments essentiels de leur temps. En plus, ce btimentsymbolise pour Munich le grand panouissement culturel de cette ville pendantla premire moiti du sicle pass. Les murs extrieurs demeurent, mais la pierrede lornementation stait effrite dj avant la guerre, de sorte quon devraitenvisager non seulement des rparations fragmentaires, mais une totale rfectionde la fapde sud, longue de plus de 90 mtres. Deux opinions saffrontent. Lunetendrait maintenir cette architecture de haute valeur artistique et considrertoute autre conception comme irrvrencieuse, lautre reprsenter la destructionde ce beau musCe comme un fait dfinitif; tou t en reconnaissant la valeur de lancienbtiment, quune reconstruction pourrait perfectionner, on ne veut pas ttr e li parle programme musographique de 1830,qui nest ni lactuel, ni celui de lavenir.Par la construction dun mus6e moderne, correspondant aux besoins daujourdhui,on pourrait prouver que Munich est capable de poser de nouvelles bases culturelles.Dailleurs on est daccord pour reconstruire comme muse moderne la Neue Pina-kothek, dont le btiment a t dmoli. Mais, tant donn que ce projet prendra encoredu temps, on ne sest pas proccup de llaboration des plans.

Aussitt que les conditions tconomiques et sociales le permettront au cours desprochaines annes, il deviendra ncessaire de btir des muses nouveaux dansdautres villes allemandes. Les rcentes expriences faites dans le domaine de latechnique musale nont donc encore pu tre appliques et vrifies que dans peude cas, et pour autant que la remise en tat des ruines utilisables le permettait.Dans tous ces cas, il ne sagissait que dune amlioration de lclairage, parfois declimatisation, dclairage artificiel, de revtement des murs, dinstallations de scuritet de conservation, enfin de lamnagement en gnral.

Ce qui est dcisif, ce ne sont cependant pas les faits techniques mais les facteursspirituels qui font quun muse peut remplir un rle essentiel dans la socit.Presque partout o n note une tendance donner plus dclat aux collections en cher-chant de manire plus ou moins visible se librer de loptique historique. Le manquede locaux disponibles favorise cette tendance ne plus orienter le muse vers un butpurement scientifique niais vers des fins gnrales et ducatives. Cette nouvelleorientation ne dcharge pas le muse des travaux et de la recherche scientifiques,ni non plus de lobligation de prserver et daccrotre les collections. Mais la fonctionmanifeste du muse nest plus autant de conserver que de prsenter les collections,de les rendre eficaces et den faire comprendre la signification actuelle aux visiteurs

Les modifications survenues dans la structure sociale ont entran la disparitionprogressive des collections prives. Pour la plupart des hommes le muse constituepresque le seul lieu de rencontre avec luvre dart. Par le fait du choix des objetsexposs et par la manire de les prsenter, on tablit un critre daprs lequel lepublic soriente et forme ses propres jugements. La responsabilit que le museassume envers le public du fait de ce choix ne peut tre assez prise au srieux.Autant que possible il doit tablir un moyen de mdiation entre ce qui est le prsentet ce qui est lhistoire ont la valeur et la force peuvent tre saisies avec une signi-fication nouvelle t atteindre ainsi un quilibre vivant et actif. La crise deconscience historique par laquelle nous passons aujourdhui justifie tout effort ence domaine.

Dans tous les muses allemands on a prfr la qualit la quantit. Les sallessont simples. Les tentures, pour souhaitables quelles puissent tre, ont presquetotalement disparu. On se contente de papiers, de peinture ou dun enduit grainfin qui anime discrtement la surface et qui, pass au lait de chaux lgrement teint,forme de bons fonds surtout pour des uvres du moyen ge. Aux tons unifor-mment clairs on prfre pour les murs des nuances discrtes. Dans certains cason constate une tendance utiliser des couleurs plus vives. Chaque salle est considre

(A


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8. STAATLICHE UNSTHA LLE, arlsruhe. Educa-tional section. Restoration of slightly damagedrooms. School exhibition : Greece.8. Section educative. Restauration de salles peudetruites. Exposition pidagogique : la Grce.

7. MUSEUMUR KUNST ND GEWERBE, amburg.Contemporary section. Re-arranged room : themodern home.

y. Section contemporaine. Salle transforme.Thkme de l'exposition : 'habitation moderne.

I . Rave, Paul Ortwin. Kmstdiktatrrrim drittetzReid, Hambourg, 1949.

I54

comme un ensemble, et 1,011 cherche assurer chaque objet son propre effet. Laprsentation dans la salle ou sur les murs est partout espace, are. Des tableaux decommune origine, par exemple les volets d'un retable, ne sont pas spars pou r desraisons d'quilibre dcoratif, bien que l'galit des formats puisse y inciter. Lesmuses allemands prfrent aujourd'hui une prsentation libre et rythmique lasymtrie svre favorise en France.

A l'encontre des muses amricains, qui runissent les collections des domainesles plus diffrents, la tradition europenne de la sparation des domaines s'est main-tenue ici aprs la guerre. On prfre plusieurs muses traitant chacun un domaine

un seul muse les embrassant tous. On croit que l'action des premiers est plusprofonde. Abstraction faite de petits muses o une telle sparation n'aurait pasde sens, une fois reconstruit, le Germanisches Museum Nuremberg sera le seulqui donnera encore une vue d'ensemble de l'volution dans tous les domaines.Dans ce cas, l'accent porte sur l'unit de l'histoire culturelle et non sur la signi-fication individuelle de l'uvre d 'art. C'est de la mme fa p n que le DeutschesMuseum Munich prsente l'volution de la technique.

L'action de la dictature nationale-socialiste a appauvri les collections d'art modernedes galeries allemandes. En 1938,dans I O I muses, on a confisqu et expropri1.450 tableaux et sculptures et plus de 10.700 aquarelles, dessins et gravures. Unepartie de ces suvres a t vendue, et finalement plus de 1.000 ableaux et sculptures,3.800 dessins et gravures ont t anantis dans un acte d'autodestruction culturelle'.

Aujourd'hui, Cologne, Munich, Hambourg et Mannheim des collections impor-tantes et choisies d'art moderne ont t reconstitues. Dans tous les autres muses.auxquels une telle tche incombait on a tout au moins commenc combler lesvides et rtablir le contact avec le prsent. I1 est vrai que cela n'a t possiblejUSqu'ici que pour l'art moderne allemand, non pour celui de l'tranger. Les musesImportants eux-mmes n'ont pas obtenu d'allocation de devises pour des acqui-sitions. Ils sont retranchs du march international et, rsultat regrettable de cettecoupure, l'unit de l'art moderne occidental n'a pu tre prsente que dans le cadred'expositions temporaires. Pour le public allemand et dans la situation prsente, ilserait pourtant important de connatre l'art moderne des autres pays. I1 est inutiled'insister ici sur le rle du muse comme moyen de comprhension mutuelle.

Certains muses d'a rt industrie l se sont souvenus de leur destination originale, enlui donnant un nouveau sens. Ils avaient ti fonds pour prsenter des collectionsde modles que l'artisan, suivant le got de son temps, devait copier, ou par lesquelsil devait se laisser guider, en s'inspirant de l'histoire. Quand le culte de l'histoirecommensa dcliner, on Limita ces collections plus ou moins arbitrairement en lesarrtant par exemple au classicisme tardif. Aujourd'hui on cherche de nouveau

le modle d'origine, mais on le cherche dans le simple ustensile de belle forme,


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c o m e il s'en trouve toutes les Cpoques et dans toutes les civilisations. On nereconnat que la beaut de la forme non pour la faire copier, mais pour encouragertout effort de cration. h t des objets anciens on prsente, et depuis longtempsdans des muses spcialiss comme ceux de Stuttgart e t Munich, d'excellents modlescontemporains et mtme des crations de srie industrielle. L'volution rcente aconduit d'autres muses s'adjoindre de telles sections ( jg . 9 ) , importantes pourla fonction sociale du muse.

Des expositions temporaires, des confrences et des visites accompagnes pouradultes et coliers ont toujours eu lieu dans les muses allemands de quelque impor-tance, mais il leur manquait une organisation et des installations permettant untravail ducatif permanent et mthodique. Ce travail d'enseignement vient de com-mencer Nuremberg, Munich et Karlsruhe, mais simplement titre d'essai, car onmanque encore d'exprience dans ce domaine. Au Bayerisches Nationalmuseum deMunich, on a install une salle d'tudes o l'on montre sur demande des objets setrouvant habituellement dans les rserves, et o le visiteur peut consulter des livres,revues et autres instruments de travail. On y organise des confrences et des coursd'coliers. Le Germanisches Museum Nuremberg applique la mme mthode, enorganisant les cours aprs consultation avec les professeurs et instituteurs, lesvisites au muse tant intgres au programme scolaire. Le but est le mme : donnerl'enseignement direct devant l'objet original. La Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe(jg. 81, applique une autre mthode : la section de l'ducation possde comme lesmuses amricains des salles spciales pour des expositions et confxences. On yprsente une collection de diapositifs et de grandes reproductions, Un certainnombre de cadres interchangeables sont la disposition des visiteurs. Chaque coleou pTofesseur peut, en vertu d'arrangements, emprunter ce qui lui parat utile pourson enseignement. De son ct, le muse prpare des expositions qu'il montre dansla section ducative ou qu'il offre aux coles. De petites expositions sont envoyesdans toutes les coles de village de la rgion. L'intention de donner un enseignementdirect et de parfaire l'ducation visuelle est toujours souligne par l'invitation visiter le muse. Chaque anne les lves sortants sont invits une fte o aprsun bref concert ils visitent le muse, et des spcialistes sont leur disposition pourrpondre leurs questions. E n gnral le succs de ce travailest satisfaisant. Nombred'enfants et de jeunes gens ont cess de craindre le muse et profitent de leur droitd'entre libre. En vue d'largir le cercle des matres intresss, les professeurs eux-mmes ont organis la section d'ducation du muse des cours de perfectionnementgratuits et libres pour leurs collgues. La prparation l'enseignement de l'art pourles jeunes matres de dessin a pu, au moins en partie, tre transfre de l'amphithtreau muse, o les examens d'aptitude se droulent galement. A l'aide d'expositionsd'uvres d'coliers et de concours d'enfants on essaie d'exercer une influence surl'enseignement et sur ses mthodes. Des archives de dessins d'enfants, organisesselon des principes pdagogiques et psychologiques, rpondent au mme but. Cetravail trouve auprs des autorits de l'enseignement suprieur un soutien et unencouragement particulirement satisfaisants.

On a l'habitude de mesurer le succs d'un muse au nombre de ses visiteurs.Pour les muses allemands reconstruits, ce nombre est suprieur, parfois de trsloin, celui d'avant guerre.

Ce que l'on a expos ci-dessus ne peut tre tenu pour trs considrable, si ce n'estpar le court laps de quatre ans sur lequel portent la reconstruction et le renouveaudes muses en Allemagne. Une volont de ralisations culturelles s'exprime plusclairement en cela que dans la contemplation de ce qui reste faire.

( Traahitde 1 dleriiuzzd.)

IO. BAYERISCHES N.4TIONALMUSEUhC, hlnich. Rie-

menschneider room. Restored room. New presen-tation.IO. Salle Riemenschneider. Salle rpare. Prsen-tation nouvelle.

II. EHEMALSTAATLICHEUSEEN,em8degderieDahlem, Berlin. New presentation and display.II. Installation et prsentation nouvelles.


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achieving a better arrangement of them, lending them to interesting and instructivecomparisons, drawing the public's attention to the more important of them and, byspecial display procedures, bringing out their salient artjstic qualities. Almost allmuseums had to I) reconsider the distribution of the rooms and the arrangementof the works; (2) improve the natural lighting arrangements and install artificiallighting; 3) reduce the degrees of dfference between extreme summer and wintertemperatures in the premises ; 4) eliminate or reduce the risk of fire, always a seriousfactor in old buildings; and (5j improve conditions of visits and install heating

systems.Since 194j, early all Italian towns, even the smallest, have considerably improved

their museums and art galleries, whether these be owned by the State, the Munici-pality, or religious and private bodies. Many new rooms have been added to theold ones, and systematic rearrangement, often involving radical alterations, has beencarried out-we need only mention the Gallerie deIl' Accademia at Venice, the Pina-coteca at Parma and Modena, the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche at Urbino, theMuseo di Antichit at Turin, the Museo di San Martino at Naples, and so forth. Itis not, however, this type of rearrangement and alteration that we wish to speak ofin this article, although it is just such work, frequently accomplished with onlyslender resources and despite many dificulties, that has made the remarkable im-provement of Italian museums in general possible ; what we want to describe is thenature of the most serious problems that have been tackled and successfully solved.

Of all the Italian cities, Milan is that whose museums and galleries suffered thegravest war damage. One museum, the Poldi-Pezzoli, was completely razed to theground: while the Pinacoteca di Brera and the Museo del Castello Sforzesco sufferedseverely from air raids. The restoration of Museo del CastelIo Sforzesco,,a municipalmuseum, is still no more than a project, but a very fine project which, if completelycarried out, would make the old museum a model of a museum planned accordingto modern museographical techniques. The Pinacoteca di Brera* and the MuseoPoldi-Pezaoli, on the other hand, have already been restored, reorganized and re-opened to the public. The former wasof quite a special nature, being as it was thetypical Napoleonic museum; though as a whole it reflected the neo-classical taste ofthe period in which it was established, the structure of the collections showed thetastes of those scholars of the first part of the x x t h century who began to take aninterest in the historical side of works of art and their classification according toschools. The curator, Professor Fernanda Wittgens", adopted the principle of main-taining the original aspect of the great Napoleonic rooms, harmonizing the architec-tural features of the other rooms with the historical background of the works of art(though without converting an entire room to the style of the period concerned), andarranging other less formal parts of the museum in accordance with modern con-ceptions, while co-ordinating the proportions and colour-schemes of the severalparts, and devising special ways of displaying certain famous works like Raphael'si U m i ~ g ~fthe 17irgi . In the case of the Museo Poldi-Pezzoli, the same curator hadto solve a smaller but more complex problem. The exhibits in this museum wereassembled in the xrxth century by a private collector who, though he had remarkabletaste, was not entirely free from the romantic and antiquarian leanings of his time.In addition t o superb paintings, there were pieces of sculpture, small works in bronze,arms, fabrics, carpets, furniture and furnishings, all of which went to make up adistinguished but at the same time somewhat disordered interior. The museumbuilding had been completely destroyed by bombs; the problem was, therefore,whether to restore the original atmosphere, with its romantic anachronism of theso-called Dante Cabinet or whether to eliminate all trace of the donor's tastes andintentions and transform the former private collection into a public (but necessarilyuncoordinated and fragmentary) museum. Here, too, a compromise solution wasadopted; it was decided that the reconstruction should take the form of an aristo-cratic house rather than of a museum, attention being paid not to overcrowd therooms, improving the general display and endeavouring to arrange the exhibitsmore systematically.

In Genoa, on the other hand, the Municipality seconded the curator of the Museodi Palazzo Bianco, Professor Caterina Marcenaro, in her bold venture of convertingthe old Gallery into a highly modern one. The curator secured the co-operation of

* See : Musauhi,Vol. IV, No. 3 p. 148-154.

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the architect Franco Albini, one of themost brilliant exponents of the movementfor advanced architecture in Italy. Theworks of art were carefully divided intothose of primary and those of secondaryimportance, the latter being then assem-bled and arranged in storerooms, excel-lently lighted and equipped and perm-

anently open to the public (g. 12). Theworks were arranged methodically andaccording to the general distributionof the rooms. A very careful study wasmade ofth e rooms lighting, and the newscheme as a whole was inspired by theprinciples of clarity and simplicity. Thepaintings were hung without frames, .except where the frames were original

1 2 . GALLERIA DI P*Lmm BIAo,G~nova.Worksofminor importance hax-e been arranged on the topstorey of the museum in room< devoted t o studycollections. These rooms are always open to thepublic.

12. Les DeuvreS dintbr*t secondaire ont t installescollections #tude. ouverteSau public.

ones ( jg . 13). Simple, suitable supports were devised for paintings exhibitednear the windows or away from the walls (g 14). A careful study was madeof background colouring, and sometimes natural materials (such as roughedslate) were used in order to obtain ground tones rather than tints. Here, too, special

ways of displaying certain works were studied, not so much in order to stimulatevisitors admiration as to bring them to contemplate such works more easily andmeditatively (fig.IJ). Thus a fragment of a sculpture by Giovanni Pisano has beenmounted on a very simple mechanical support which can be worked electrically;when set in motion, it rises and revolves so as to permit the visitor to view theexhibit in all its aspects and so appreciate its every feature; the byzantine pallium isalso remarkably exhibited, in a glass case.

The Galleria degli UEizi* in Florence presented an extremely complex problemowing to the premises themselves, the wealth and variety of the exhibits, the exis-tence of still fairly homogeneous nuclei of the old Medici collections, and the neces-sity of respecting certain old and systematic arrangements. Very difficult technicalissues had to be settled as regards both security and lighting of the exhibits. The lastcurator, Professor Guglielmo Pacchioni, worked out a non-apparent but very effec-

tive scheme to eliminate all risks of fire, by removing wooden beams and by makingit easier for firemen to penetrate through the roof of the museum. Like many otherItalian art galleries using skylights for lighting purposes, the UfFiti Gallery wassubject to very sudden and drastic variations in temperature, and this was not only

detrimental to paintings on wood but (aby no means negligible factor) disagree-able for visitors. Accordingly, a centralheating system was installed-a veritablefeat in this ancient building of Vasaris-as well as a system for cooling the sky-lights by means of a constant spray ofcold water. The ventilation of the roomswas also improved. Moreover, a careful

study was made of a system of adjustableslats for regulating, inside the rooms, thelight from the skylights ; his light, wher-ever possible, is combined with that f romthe side windows, so as to avoid over-uniformity and permit every painting tobe given the amount and incidence oflight that display it to best effect.

Another fundamental reform was car-ried out in the presentation of the variouscollections, which were formerly arran-ged according to the correct but toorigid and mechanical principle of

Itage suprieur dans des salles consacres aux

* SCC : WEUM, voiutTleII, 1949, N ~ ., p. 28.

13. GALLERIA DI PiLAzzo BIANCo, Genova. Ge-noese room. The paintings are hung without framesexcept where the frames are original. Light is derivedfrom fluorescent tubes placed in metal gutters sus-

pended from the ceiling.II. Salle @noise. Les tableaux Sont exPosCsSanscadres sauf lorsque ceux-ci sont originaux. Ils sontclairs par des tubes fluorescence placGs dans desgouttires de mtal, suspendues au plafond.


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schools; it was preferred to draw attention to cultural similarities and contrasts,and thus emphasize contemporaneity rather than chronological succession. How-ever, even this criterion was not applied mechanically, as the curators rightlydecided that the Tribamn,if it could not be restored to its original appearance,should at least have the noble aspect with which it was invested at the endof the xvrth century by Buontalenti and Poccetti, and that the Niobe roomshould retain the neo-classical form given it by Paoletti and Albertolli. The corridors,they decided, should not lose their original architectural and ornamental features ;

the terrace overlooking the Loggia dell 'orcagna should preserve some semblance ofthe hanging garden designed by Buontalenti; and certain collections, such as theself-portraits, should not be dispersed.

Another vast undertaking was the reorganization of the Museo di San Martinoin Naples fis. 16, S), under the direction of Professor Bruno Molajoli. This mu-seum contains an extensive and varied collection of furniture, ceramics, and variousobjects illustrating the history of Neapolitan life and customs. In such a museum itwas almost impossible to set o f f he qual-ities of individual works or groups ofworks,except by avoiding all attempts torecreate the historical and artistic atmo-sphere and by endeavouring to establishby means of outline and colour harmony

between the collections themselves andthe rooms of the old Certosa. Ths hasin fact been done, through modernmuseographical planning which uphelda sustained note of elegance.

Again, in Naples, the art collection ofan important banking institution (g. r7)has been reorganized on completely ,modern lines; it is one of the rare ,examples in Italy of a museum arrange-ment entirely uninfluenced by historical ,or monumental considerations.

The Pisa museum, which was form-erly owned by the Municipality, has nowbecome State property and has beenreorganized in the premises of an oldconvent once upon a time converted intoa prison. It is interesting to note howcleverly the curator-architect, Piero Sam-paolesi, made use of the plan of the old building when adapting,it to its newfunction; and how, without using completely modern museum methods, he hassucceeded in creating an austere atmosphere harmonizing with the nature of thecollections, which consist largely of x n t h and s rvth century paintings.

The necessity of preserving the historical character of museums and in some casestheir internal structure, considerably complicates the development of their educa-tional function, which is now rightly regarded as all-important. Ths state of affairshas been and still is being remedied, by means of rooms which are specially equippedand reserved for educational exhibitions ; such rooms are now in service at the Gal-leria Nazionale d'&te Moderna in Rome, the Museo Nazionale at Pisa and theGalleria di Palazzo Bianco in Genoa. These rooms are also used for research andexperiment in special types of museum display.

Although it is necessary in Italy, for various reasons, to maintain existing museumsin their original buildings or, whenever a transfer is necessary, to install them in oldpalaces (as, for example, in the case of the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica in Rome,which will be transferred in the nest few months from the Palazzo Corsini to thePalazzo Barberini), a few new edifices for museums are now being constructed. Ofthese there is one at Paestum, which is interesting because it will assemble arounda systematic reconstitution of the temple, discovered at the mouth of the Sele, thefragments and materials found as a result of excavations in the region (architect:

14.GALLERIA I PALAZZOIANCO,Genova. bla-gnasco room: simpleand suitable supports mountedon romanesque and gothic ~-oereevised forpaintings exhibited near the uTindows or awayfromthe walls. At the n-indnws venetian blinds cif curvedaluminium slats adjustable to the light.z Salle Magnasco. Les tableaux prbs des fenZtresou loin des SOnt exposes des supportssimples et rationnels montCs sur des chapiteauxromans ou gothiques. Aux fenitres, des storeslames d'aluminium concaves et articules permettentde rCg,er yeclairage.


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M. De Vita); another in Milan, for the Galleria dArte Moderna, will be very modernas regards plan, architecture and display of exhibits (architect: I. Gardella); and athird, also a Galleria #Arte Moderna, will shortly be erected in Tur in in accordancewith plans to be chosen by means of a public competition.

Aswe indicated at the outset, the present short article describes no more than themost important museum problems that have been resolved, and makes no mentionof the improvements effected in almost all museums and art galleries in Italy. More-over, we have expressly confined ourselves to that part of the vast plan for the reor-

ganization of museums which has already actually been carried o ut ; the plan cannotbe fulfilled in its entirety for some years yet; it cannot, indeed, be described as ful-filled until the organization of Italian museums as a whole attains to the standardsof functionalism required by the stage reached in the study of the history of art .

( TrunslrrtedfromItalim.)

R E N O U V E A UES M U S E S E N I TA L I Epar G. C. A R G A N

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ES dommages causs directement aux uvres dart des muses italiens par la

sest trouv entirement dsorganis. De nombreux btiments de muse avaientt gravement endommags et les uvres dart taient restes pendant des annesdans des caisses et dans des locaux o les conditions de temprature et dhumiditntaient pas toujours favorables la conservation de fragiles peintures anciennes.En outre, les oprations militaires avaient souvent ncessit le transport htif descollections dans un lieu moins expos, dans des vhicules de fortune, sur des routespilonnes par laviation, travers mille dangers. Toute la collection de tableaux duMuse des Offices fut enleve par les troupes allemandes et rcupre lors de lar-mistice non loin de la frontire.

A la fin de la guerre, les collections dart italiennes se trouvaient dans une confu-sion et un dsordre extrmes ; es besoins taient immenses, les ressources techniqueset financires drisoires, et les difficults - tant donn la situation gnrale du pays

pouvantables. I1 fallait de toute urgence rapatrier les uvres dart, les extrairedes caisses o elles avaient pass des annes, examiner leur tat de conservation,procder aux restaurations indispensables, enfin les rinstaller. Mais il fallait aupa-ravant remettre en tat les locaux des muses; aussi une grande partie des modestesfonds fut-elle affecte la restauration des btiments dont certains menasaient ruine.La solution la plus conomique aurait consist remettre les locaux dans ltat oils se trouvaient avant la guerre. Mais cet tat tait loin, mme avant la guerre, dtresatisfaisant et lon se serait vite trouv dans lobligation de reprendre tous lestravaux afin dadapter lorganisation des muses aux exigences de la musographiemoderne. En fait, nous ne disposions lpoque ni du temps ni de largent nces-saires pour prparer et appliquer une rforme gnrale et profonde.

Dailleurs, la possibilit mme dune telle rforme reste dmontrer. Tous leshistoriens dart italiens connaissent et apprcient les progrs de la constructiondes muses et de la prsentation musographique raliss dans de nombreux pays

et chacun deux, sil lui fallait constituer et organiser u n muse idal, ferait un choixrigoureux duvres reprsentatives de toutes les poques et de toutes les coles,les classerait selon les principes dune critique claire et les exposerait de fason faire apparatre leur valeur esthtique et leur intrt historique. Mais tous les musesitaliens ont une histoire et celle-ci se manifeste dans la fason dont les collectionsont t formes et enrichies; la structure dune collection ancienne constitue untmoignage important pour lhistoire du got. I1 est vrai que les collections ne fontpas que saccrotre; elles se dispersent aussi, et les muses actuels ne conservent plusgure que des fragments de lancienne structure des collections dart de lItalie.Dailleurs, si les tmoignages du got des collectionneurs et des amateurs dart desX V I ~ t XVII~ sicles ne doivent pas tre dtruits, il convient aussi dexprimer et detransmettre la postrit les gots et les conceptions esthtiques de notre poquepar larrangement de nos muses.

L guerre ont t heureusement assez lgers; mais le systme des muses lui-mme


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Toutes ces considrations venaient compliquer cncore un problme dj grave;placs dans l'alternative de tout conserver ou de tout renouveler, nous avons optpour une solution intermdiaire, la plus raisonnable mais aussi la plus difficile, carelle imposait un travail de discrimination attentive entre ce qui mritait d'treconserv et ce qu'il y avait lieu de renouveler. En outre, il fallait faire preuve d'unsens de la mesure toujours en veil afin d'tviter que l'ancien et le moderne seheurtent trop violemment, ce qui aurait eu pour effet de dsorienter le public et depriver les muses de leur unit. C'est pourquoi les uvres qu'il parut prfrablede conserver ou de restaurer furent attentivement examinees dans le dessein d'enassurer la dure et d'en rendre la prsentation plus cohrente, d'en favoriser lesrapprochements intressants et instructifs, d'attirer l'attention des visiteurs sur les'plus importantes d'entre elles et d'en souligner par des dispositifs spkciaux s'ac-cordant la prsentation les qualits artistiques essentielles.

Dans presque tous les muses, il fallait : IO reconsidrer la distribution des locauxet la disposition des euvres; 20 amliorer l'clairage naturel et installer l'clairageartificiel; 30 rduire les carts de temprature entre l'hiver et l't; 40 liininer ouattnuer les risques d'incendie, toujours srieux dans des difices anciens; j o am-liorer les conditions de la visite et installer le chauffage.

Depuis 194j,presque toutes les villes italiennes me les plus petites - ntsensiblement amlior l'amnagement de leurs muses, qu'il s'agisse de collecdonspubliques (tat, villes, fondations religieuses ou prives). Un nombre considrablede nouvelles salles ont t ouvertes i ct des anciennes. Des regroupements syst-matiques et mme parfois des transformations profondes ont t effectues, notam-ment aux Gallerie dell' Accademia de Venise, la Pinacoteca de Parme, celle deModne, la Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, Urbino, au Museo di Antichita deTurin, au Museo de SanMartino, de Naples, etc. Ces travaux de rorganisation etde modernisation, excuts avec peu de moyens et en dpit de multiples difficults,

II. GALLERIA DI PALAZZO MNCO,Genova. Tomb

of Marguerite de Brabant by Giovanni Pisano. Thisfragment of sculpture has been mounted on a simplemechanical support which when set in motion elec-trically rises and revolves. Background colouringhas been carefully studied and sometimes naturalmaterials such as slate have been used.II. Tombeau de Marguerite de Brabant, par Gio-vanni Pisano. Ce fragment de sculpture est montesur un support artic uli qui actionnC Clectriyuements'&l&veet pivote. Les teintes des fonds ont et&choisies avec soin ct rCalisCes dans certains casl'aide de matCriaux naturels tels que l'ardoise.

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16. hrUSF.0 D I s 4 N ~ % ~ K T I N C ) , Napoli. SculptureGallery. A room devoted to the sculpture of Tinodi Camaino and his school.16. Galerie de sculpture. Salle consacrke auxeuvres de Tino de Camaino et de son cole.

ont permis damliorer considrablement la situation gnrale des muses italiens.Mais il sest pos aussi des problmes plus graves, qui ont t rsolus avec succset cest de ceux-l que je voudrais surtout parler ici.

De toutes les villes italiennes Milan est celle dont le patrimoine artistique a leplus souffert; le Muse Poldi-Pezzoli a t ras; la Pinacoteca di Brera et le Museodel Castello Sforzesco ont t trs gravement endommags par les bombardements.La restauration du Museo del Castello Sforzesco, muse municipal, nest encorequ ltat de projet; il est vrai que les plans sont excellents et, sils sont intgralementexcuts, ce vieux muse est appel devenir un modle du muse c o n p selon lestechniques musographiques modernes. La Pinacoteca di Brera* et le Muse Poldi-Pezzoli restaurs sont dores et dj ouverts au public. La pinacothque tait unmuse napolonien typique. Et sicelui-ci refltait, dans sa conception, le got no-classique de lpoque, la composition de ses collections portait aussi la marque deces rudits du dbut du XIP sicle, qui commensaient sintresser laspecthistorique des uvres dart et vouloir les grouper par coles. Le conservateur, leprofesseur Fernanda Wittgens*, a voulu respecter lordonnance des grandes sallesnapoloniennes, adapter larchitecture des autres salles aux caractres historiquesdes collections (sans jamais aller jusqu crer de salles dpoque), amnager enfinconformment aux conceptions modernes certaines parties moins caractristiquesdu muse, tout en maintenant une harmonie de dimensions et de couleurs entre lesdiverses sections et en prvoyant une prsentation spciale pour certaines ceuvresclbres, comme l e Mariagede la Viergede Raphal. Au Muse Poldi-Pezzoli, lemme conservateur a d rsoudre un probkme moins gnral mais plus compliqu.Le Muse Poldi-Pezzoli avait t constitu au sicle dernier par un collectionneurdun got trs raffin mais quelque peu influenc par le romantisme de son poqueet grand amateur dobjets anciens. h t de tableaux dun intrt exceptionnel, cemuse renfermait des sculptures, des bronzes, des armes, des toffes, des tapis, desmeubles, des bibelots divers ; ensemble donnait une impression seigneuriale, maisquelque peu confuse et dsordonne. Le btiment ayant t entirement dtrui t parles bombardements, on se trouva devant une alternative : fallait-il recrer lambianceprimitive, avec lanachronisme romantique du cabinet dantesque ou, sans teniraucun compte du got et des intentions du donateur, transformer lancienne col-lection prive en un muse public ncessairement incomplet et sans unit relle?L encore on opta pour une solution de compromis : on reconstruisit une demeureseigneuriale plutt quun muse, mais en sefforsant de ne pas trop encombrer lessalles, damliorer la prsentation et de grouper les objets de faSon rationnelle.

La municipalit de Gnes, en revanche, suivant la courageuse initiative du pro-fesseur Caterina Marcenaro, directrice du Museo di Palazzo Bianco, a fait trans-former ce vieux palais en un muse des plus moderne par les soins de Franco Albini,brillant reprsentant de larchitecture italienne davant-garde. On a opr un tririgoureux entre les ceuvres de premire importance et les ceuvres dintrt secon-daire; ces dernires ont t disposes dans des salles bien claires et bien amnages

(jg. IZ), toujours ouvertes aux visiteurs.On a adopt une disposition rationnelle,judicieusement adapte la distributiondes salles ; lclairage a t spcialement

tudi; tous les travaux ont t effectusselon des principes de clart et de simpli-cit. Les tableaux sont exposs sans cadresauf lorsque les cadres sont originaux(Jfq ~j), ur des supports simples etrationnels, dans la mesure du possibleprs des fentres, et cn tout cas, loin desmurs (Ag. 2 4 ) . Les teintes de fond ontt choisies avec le plus grand soin, etralises dans certains cas laide dematriaux naturels (lardoise brute, parexemple) de fason obtenir des tons quine soient pas des couleurs. Certaines

uvres bnficient dune prsentation

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spciale, moins pour forcer ladmirationdes visiteurs, que pour les inviter Aune contemplation calme et riichie.Cest ainsi quun fragment de sculpturede Giovanni Pisano a t mont sur unsupport articul extrmement simple qui,actionn lectriquement, llve en lefaisant tourner : le dispositif permet unexamen absolument parfait de cette cmvreclassique ($A. I T ) ; signaler aussi laprsentation du pallium byzantin, dansune vitrine de cristal.

A Florence, la Galleria degli Uffizikposait un problme extrmement com-plexe, en raison de lktat des locaux, de larichesse et de la varit des collections,de la nCcessit de respecter certainsensembles homognes datant des RIIdicis,et dautres amnagements anciens etsystmatiques. I1 se posait en outre degraves problmes techniques, notammenten matire de sicurit et dklairage descmvres. Afin dliminer tout risque dincendie, le dernier conservateur du muse, leprofesseur Guglielmo Pacchioli, a fait effectuer des travaux inapparents mais impor-tants. 11 a supprim lapoutraison de bois des superstructures et amnag des accs autoit du muse afin de permettre une intervention rapide des pompiers eh cas dincendie.Comme beaucoup dautres muses italiens, le Muse des OEices est clair par desverrires, ce qui y provoquait des Ccarts de temprature prjudiciables la conser-vation des peintures surbois et - e qui nest pas non plus ngliger u confortdes visiteurs. Malgr la dificult de loptration, on a install, dans le vieus btimentde Vasari, le chauffage et un systme continu de refroidissement par eau des ver-rires. Laration des salles a t amkliore. Un systme de lamelles mobiles permetde rgler la lumire des verrires. Enfin, on sest egord de combiner, partout o

ctait possible, lclairage znithal et lclairage latral afin dviter luniformitet

dclairer chaque tableau avec lintensit et sous langle les plus favorables. .En outre, la disposition des collections a tC profondment modifie. Autrefois

qroupkes par coles rincipe valable du point de vue critique mais rigide lexcs - lles le sont maintenant daprs les contacts et Ies rapports culturels, defason mettre cn vidence la contemporankit plut& que la succession chrono-logique des faits artistiques. Cette rgle elle-mme nest pas applique de fasonsystmatique. Lesconservateurs ont estim avec raison devoir restituer la Tribmesinon son aspect original, du moins le caractre monumental que Buontalenti etPoccetti lui avaient donn la fin du X V I ~ icle; la salle de Niob lempreinteno-classique de Paoletti et dAlbertolli; la galerie son architecture et sa dcorationanciennes, e t 3, la terrasse sur la Loggia dell Orcagna quelques Clments du jardinsuspendu conu par Buontalenti. Ils ont galement cru devoir conserver intactes

certaines collections, telles que celle des portraits dartistes peints par eux-memes.Une ceuvrr non moins importante, le raminagement du Museo di San Martino,a t ralise Naples (E 16, 1-8) par le professeur Bruno Molajoli. Ce musepossde une collection aussi vaste que varie de meubles, cramiques et documentsde lart plastique voquant lhistoire de la vie et du costume napolitains. Dans un telmuse, il ntait possible de mettre en relief des muvres isoles ou des collectionsquen renonsant dlibrment reconstituer lambiance historique ou artistique,pour tenter de crer une harmonie de lignes et de couleurs entre les collectionselles-mmes et les salles de laVieille Chartreuse. Cest ce qui a kt fait en sinspirantde principes musographiques purement modernes qui donnent lensemble unenote dlgance soutenue.

A Naplcs galement, la collection dart dun important institut bancaire (g. 17)a kt rorganise selon des principes strictement modernes. Elle constitue aujour-

17. GALLE RI^ DEL B.~NCO I N ~ P O L I . rranged(195I ) by Brunobtolaloli with:the assistance of thearchitect Ezio De Felice.r?. Ensemble atnknage Brunobrolajoli avec lacollahorationde larchitecte de Felice (19sI).

* I-oir; fU5EUhi, vol. II, 1949, no 2 , p. 28.

dhui en Italie un exemple peu prs unique de musCe moderne amnag selon 163


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18. MTJSEOI SAN ~ ~ A R T I N O , apoli. Exhibitionof shepherds from Neapolitan Christ child's cribs,in artificially lit showcases in darkened rooms.16. Bergers de la crche napolitaine, espos& dansdes vitrines Cclairkes artificiellement, en des picesoh rgne la phombre.

des conceptions musographiques ne tenant pas compte des considrationshistoriques ou architecturales.

Le Muse de Pise, autrefois muse municipal et devenu proprit de l'tat,a t transfr dans un ancien couvent qui servit jadis de prison. L'architecte PieroSanpaolesi a su tirer parti de l'ancien difice en l'adaptant sa nouvelle fonction.Sans renoncer compltement des conceptions modernes, il a su confrer l'en-semble un caractre d'austrit bien adapt i la nature des collections qui se com-posent surtout de peintures des XIIF et X I V ~ icles.

La ncessit de respecter le caractre historique des muses et parfois mmeleur structure intrieure a empch d'accorder toute l'attention voulue au dve-loppement de leur fonction ducative aujourd'hui considre juste titre commeessentielle. Pour remdier cet tat de choses, o n amnage des salles spcialesaffectes aux expositions ducatives. Des salles de ce genre existent actuellement la Galleria Nazionale d'lir te Moderna de Rome, au Museo Nazionale de Pise et la Gallera di Palatzo Bianco de Gnes. Ces mmes salles servent l'tude et l'exprimentation de nouvelles mthodes de prsentation musographique.

Bien que de multiples raisons nous obligent en Italie maintenir les muses dansleurs btiments originaux ou les transfrer si c'est ncessaire en d'anciens palais(par exemple la Galleria Naaionale $Arte Antica de Rome, qui actuellement installeau Palais Corsini, doit tre transfre dans quelques mois au Palais Barberini),quelques nouveaux btiments de muse sont en construction. Celui que l'onconstruit Paestum sur les plans de M. de Vita prsente un intrt particulier : ilrassemblera autour de la reconstitution systmatique du temple retrouv l'em-bouchure du Sele tous les fragments et matriaux archologiques trouvs dans largion. U n btiment extrmement moderne par le plan, l'architecture et la prsen-tation des collections se construit Milan pour la Galleria d'Arte Moderna sur les

plans de I. Gardella. Un autre projet de muse d'art moderne a t m i s au concourspour Turin.Nous n'avons indiqu dans ce bref expos que les ralisations les plus impor-

tantes, sans pouvoir mentionner toutes les modifications et les modernisations quiont t effectues dans presque tous les muses d'Italie. En outre, nous avons dli-brment omis de parler de la partie non encore ralise de notre vaste programmede rorganisation des muses. Cette rorganisation demandera plusieurs annesencore. Elle ne sera considre comme complte que lorsque le systme tout entierdes muses italiens aura atteint un niveau de fonctionnalisme en rapport avec leprogrs actuel des tudes d'histoire de l'art. (Traduitdt l'italien.)

.


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A MUSEUM OF COLONIAL ART IN AN HISTORIC HOUSEM U S E OD E ARTECOLONIAL, UITO

N Ecuador the Colonial Art was until recent years little appreciated despite itsI great value. Apart f rom what was to be found in churches or monastery cloistersat Quito and Cuenca, there were only two or three private collections of svIIthand svmth century art. Some private persons made it their business to buy antiques,without the slightest discrimination, thus acquiring clumsy forgeries, many ofwhich are still to be found in museums or galleries.

Howerer, the setting up of the Museum of Colonial Art-particularly on itsnew site, referred to below-began to educate the public whose interest in specimensof bygone art is now awakening and whose sense of discrimination has greatlydeveloped.

The decision to set up a museum was taken by the Government some j oyears ago, though no definite plan was drawn up. An important private collectionwas bought, including an altar piece measuring some 5 x 6 m. and several minia-tures, one of which is a Calvary consisting of 17 figures on an old one-centimopiece. There were also some important pictures, carvings in wood, ivory and

ivory nut and some furniture. The collection was nearly lost, however, becauseof the rain which in winter ran down the walls of the theatre foyer in which it washoused.

In these circumstances, the Government in 1944 ook active measures to preservethis first collection, together with another acquired four years earlier. Both of themhad been shown at the Golden Gate International Exhibition held in San Franciscoin 1939-1940, nd this collection of Ecuadorian Colonial Art aroused much interestamorig the experts.

This was the position when the Government of Ecuador requested me to choosean appropriate building, arrange for its restoration and install the collections. Inthis task I was greatly helped by my six years of experience visiting Europeanmuseums. In the first place, I realized that it would be financially impossible toestablish a museum with the proper technical equipment, especially as regards

artificial lighting and regulated temperatures. Such a project was beyond ourmeans, and an alternative arrangement had to be considered. In point of fact, thebest pictorial and sculptural works have not suffered from the effects of bad weather.The pictures painted by Miguel de Santiago (end of the svIth century) haveremained intact on the walls of the open cloisters of the Monastery of San Francisco;and the total or partial damage suffered by numerous paintings of the colonial eramust be attributed to ignorance on the part of the Principals of many of ourmonasteries and to lack of technical knowledge on the part of pseudo-restorers.

According to travellers in Ecuador, there is no climate in the world better thanthat of Quito. The temperature varies between 14 nd ZIOC,nd the atmosphere isdry. PracticalIy speaking, there are two seasons-the dry season, from June toOctober, and the rainy season, from November to May-though the mornings aresunny throughout the year. These climatic conditions have preserved our works

of art, without the need for any special technical precautions such as are requiredby the extreme winters and summers of other latitudes.

Consideration of these facts led me to follow the example of the monasteries.Finding no sufficiently large and well-lit closed building, I chose the formerresidence of the Marquis of Villacis ( jg . z o ) , after consukation with a member ofthe Academia Nacional de la Historia. This house, which dates from the end ofthe svIrth century, has wide lower cloisters, bordered by small Tuscan columnssupporting medium-sized white-washed arcades (g 19). The pavement is in thestyle of the period paving stones some 30 centimetres square alternate like achess-board with squares composed of small stones from the local river-bcds.

In the centre of the little patio, I put a stone fountain ( jg . ZI), a smaller copy ofthe most beautiful of the citys old fountains, preserved in the main courtyard ofthe Monastery of San Agustin. Round the fountain, small gardens have been laid

by NrcoLAs DELGADO

19. MUSEOE ARTECOLONIAL,uito. Oneof thelower cloisters, round the flowery courtyard.79. Lun des cloitres infthieursqui entourent Ispatio fleuri.


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2 0 . MUSEOE ARTECOLONIAL, uito. The museumis installed in the former residence of the Marquisof Villacis. xvrrrth century.

2 0 . Le musCe est install6 dans l'ancienne risidencedu marquis de Villacis. SVIII? sicle.

21. MUSEOE ARTECOLONIAL, uito. The carvedstone fountain in the patio.z r. La fontaine de pierre sculpt& au centre dupatio.

I 66

out with some of the Colony's characteristic trees and plants, such as a walnut-tree,a magnolia and some orange trees. And in the sunshine, the honeysuckle whichperfumes the air and clings to the walls describes arabesques of light and shadeagainst the white background. The atmosphere is exceedingly pleasant, so that theMuseum patio is much favoured by students who come t o read, or others desiringto escape for a moment the noise and bustle of the streets. In addition, the fact thatwe had to find a colonial house meant that it must stand in a part of the city whichstill preserved the character and the charm of the early xx t h century-the Merced

district over which rose like a banner the tower of the Basilica de las Mercedes.This district overlooks the western part of the city, and beside it rise the hills ofanother very beautiful and picturesque district-that of San Juan .

The house of the Marquis de Villacis, now the Museum of Colonial Art, is notas luxurious as the Torre Tagle Palace at Lima, nor as magnificent as the Mexicanpalaces, but it has to the full the atmosphere and monastic calm of the cloisters ofthe nuns of Santa Clara or the Carmelites.

Since the art cofiections were installed in a private house, they had to be arrangedin a natural, familiar way. So far as possible, the various objects had to be disposedabout the house as they would have been by the people of the time. Pictures aretherefore shown together with sculpture, furniture, carpets and miniatures (g. 2 2 ) .In this way, we were able to avoid the great drawbacks which are sometimes foundin museum galleries-often endless-full of sculpture, room upon room of paintings,

interminable exhibits of Far Eastern porcelain ware, etc. ; innumerable similarobjects, repeated in endless succession, depriving each other of much of theirinterest; pictures of diAerent sizes, too close together, so that the visitor cannotappreciate their full value.

A few years ago, after setting up our Museum, I had my first opportunity ofvisiting the National Gallery of ,4rt, Washington, technically perhaps one of thefinest, even the very finest. There, to my great satisfaction, I saw that a larger orsmaller space had, just as in our own modest Museum, been given to pictujres inaccordance with their size and importance.

I believe that the ideal form of lighting has not yet been found for museums andart galleries. Works of art are generally given the same light as the visitors, so thatit is very difficult to study the pictures. Students are handicapped in their observationas a result of faulty techniques. If there is not sufficient light and space round

a work of art, so that it cannot be completely and properly studied, what is learntfrom it will be incomplete.

I am certain that there is an easy and logical way of lighting works of art; butI do not propose to discuss the matter here. To my mind, the true proportion ofthe colours of the spectrum is not, as a rule, preserved.

Among the more important works in the Quito Museum of Colonial Art arethree paintings by Miguel de Santiago, a remarkable colonial painter. His greatestworks are to be found in the churches and 'cloisters of San Agustin and San Fran-cisco, and in the San Francisco Chapel and the Seminary at Bogota (Colombia).The Museum also contains pictures by Manuel de Samaniego, a shy and gentlepainter of Madonnas. There is a richly adorned Virgin of the Sorrows by theIndian sculptor Caspicara; crucifixes by Pampite and Father Carlos (a Franciscan),and a beautiful Santa Rosa of Lima, by the peerless Bernardo de Legarda. In thelarge upper cloisters of the Museum, the svnth and xvrnth century furnitureof tooled leather, alternates with richly inlaid escritoires and cabinets. In the mainhall hangs the large picture mentioned earlier, which used to belong to the Com-munity of the Order of Merced.

The period frames of all these pictures are themselves of great value. Most ofthem are gilt on a red or green background. All are hand-carved in wood, andtheir ornamentation is always baroque.

The sculpture, although restricted to the religious themes which dominate

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