The Brooklyn Daily Eagle from Brooklyn, New York • Page 23

nrin MUSEUf And Leads Brooklyn 9s 3 Million to Gracious Living Do You Need Modern Science Do You Need Authentic Costumes For a Broadway Hit Show? See the Museum's Mrs. Banker To Help Detect Artistic Fraud? Consult Museum's Mr. Keck LIVES in By JOHN BALL Jr. On a Monday morning in early Spring a visitor might emerge from the I. R.

T. subway to find himself in front of the Brooklyn Museum just as the doors open at 10 o'clock. Upon teeing the building itself, his first impression would be of a massive structure built, when classic architecture was in wide vogue in this country. Entering the lobby, the visitor would inevitably be struck by the fact that once through the revolving doors, the classic facade is belied by the thoroughly modern room in which he now stands. Designed by, the celebrated architect William Lescaze, the entrance hall is spacious and inviting.

Checking, his coat and hat at the service counter, the visitor is now ready to begin a tour of the galleries. Starting Out at the Top Taking the elevator up to the fifth floor he finds himself In galleries devoted principally to painting. Here is an standing exhibition of American artists of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Many famous names are signed to the canvases which he inspects as the resources of this section of the -Museum are revealed to him in room after room. Here he fini thp f-ialphl'rjtorl full lnnfTth nrifi fa i hr r4-l; 'li-WW; The Brooklyn Museum on Eastern Parkway BROOKLYN EAGU t.ilbert Stuart.

When Lafayette saw this painting he said, "This indeed is my friend." Passing from the collected works of American artists, the visitor now find himself in the midst of works by 18th and 19th century European artist. Here are paintings for him to inspect done by Cezanne, by Degas, some of the landscapes of Corot, and pictures by Paul Gauguin who abandoned his home and family in Europe to go to Tahiti and there devote the' rest of his lite to the creation of painting of Tahitian life which are now all but priceless. The skill of the great Italian masters of medieval times is revealed by many of their canvases hung in a separate gallery of their own. Having decided by this lime that the Brooklyn Museum is Hie place to come to see pictures, the isitor descends by staircase to the fourth floor and is met, almost at once, by a surprise. Gone are the paintings formally arranged on the wall as they were on the floor above.

The exhibits here are of a different sort. There are costumes on display from American and Euro-pean sources, "designed and worn in the 18th, 10th and 20th centuries. The visitor is a lit tie surprised to find that contemporary clothing is also on display, but after thinking about the matter tor a moment or two, he decides that since costume design is certainly an art it has a right to be represented in Section 2 SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 194S 23 mis Passing from the costume rooms, the visitor finds him sell In the midst of Colonial materials from all parts of the Western Hemisphere. Here ate examples of every sort of art and design masks, carvings, furniture, textiles, religious objects, silver, ceramics, paintings and costumes. i On this floor lie finds the Museum's most popular failure, full-sized Colonial rooms actually removed from representative old dwellings and brought here in toto for exhibition and study, In some instances whole floors from liouses have been transplanted without disturbing any part of their and (bids out precisely what it Is that is wanted.

Then, when the visitor's requirements are understood, the librarian disappears into the stacks and returns with whatever material is to be had bearing on that particular matter. Solves All Problems Much of the library's work is done by appointment. Let us suppose that an opera impressario has decided to present "Norma" and rather than wrap his cast in the traditional togas which bed sheet manufacturers would recognize instantly, he calls the Brooklyn Museum and states that he would like to plan a production based on life amongst the ancient Druids. He can then spend a half hour reading a paper until he arrives at the Museum. When he enters the library he will be welcomed by a btaff member who has been working on his behalf since the phone call was completed.

In a private reading room maintained for that purpose the library's material on this particular subject has been gathered together. The librarian stands by. Having gone this far she is now ready to assist the researcher in his work. As questions arise she produces supplementary material as it is needed. If the work cannot be completed in one day or one week, the material being used is left in the private reading room, available to the person using it until his every question is answered and he has in his possession every authentic fact which he requires.

Then, and only then, the books are returned to their carefully designated places on the shelves. "Carousel" occupied the library staff for several months. When the curtain finally rose on the new Broadway success, although the program did not say so, the highly effective costumes and the settings were the direct result of long consultations at the Brooklyn Museum. The several month's work on the part of the library staff members and the use of their material did not cost the show designer a penny. He was not required to take out a membership in the Museum by which services such as these are made possible.

As a matter of fact, the members of the staff ho worked so long and hard on the assignment did not even receive tickets to the show. The designers of the production presented their original sketches to the Museum library. The, sixth floor of the Brooklyn Museum is not open to the public. This top floor is devoted to the administrative offices and to the offices and laboratories of the technical experts whose abilities are of great importance to the Museum. One of the least conspicuous of this latter group is the one whose work is perhaps the most fabulous, Mr.

Sheldon Keck, who has charge of the examination and restoration laboratory. The work of the laboratory can be roughly divided into two divisions the examination of proposed additions to the Museum's collections to determine their validity and the restoration of damaged works of art to their original condition or something approaching it. The means used for the technical examination of paintings and other objects d'art which come to the laboratory's attention are principally the microscope, chemical analysis, x-rays, infrared rays, and ultraviolet light. Detects Fraudulent Picasso When a painting is submitted to the laboratory for technical examination, there are two questions to be answered is it a genuine work by the artist supposed to be its author, and if so how much has it been altered since leaving the artist's hands? In many cases paintings submitted are found to be downright frauds. Mr.

Keck, in addition to being a technical expert, is also an artist himself by training. Recently he received a painting, bearing the signature of Picasso, which the Museum was considering for purchase. When the picture was x-rayed, Mr. Keck discovered that it was painted on a canvas previously used for a piece of cubic art. This in itself was not unusual, for artists often re use old canvases of their own or of other painters.

Mr. Keek's art knowledge, however, informed him that the cubist movement did not appear until after Picasso had ceased to paint the type of picture which was submitted. He returned it to the Museum authorities with the information that it was a fraud. A painting arrived which showed the face of a prim and dovvagerly woman. The routine x-ray examination revealed the shadow of a string of pearls about the neck.

This was enough for Mr. Keck; lie started at once to clean the painting and when he had finished, a startlingly different portrait lay revealed. When the x-ray fails to give the history of a painting ultraviolet light, sometimes called "black light," proves highly useful. Under this special lamp, the secrets of many a piece of art lay starkly revealed. A Persian cup, under this light, was instantly revealed to be made up of original fragments plus a large number of false additions, A painting, signed by a celebrated got no farther than the ultra-violet room where the signature, under the glow of black light, was shown to be on top of the varnish and not underneath it.

The painting was an unimportant one to which someone had added a spurious signature in the hope of increasing the picture's sales value. The restoration work of the laboratory is of the ethical sort. Badly damaged paintings and other works of art are regularly restored, but in such a way that the restorations are visible under careful examination. Invisible restoration intended to deceive the expert, is considered fraudulent. A painting by William Williams was offered to the Museum.

Because the picture was a very rare one, the purchase was concluded despite the fact that painting was in atrocious condition. Huge flakes of paint had peeled away and hundreds of others threatened to fall at any. moment. When restored, the picture appeared again in near original brilliance. To a considerable extent the restoration laboratory cares for and protects the contents of all of the Museum's galleries and store rooms.

The responsibility of preserving the existing collections, guarding the institution against fraud, and bringing deteriorated acquisitions back to the glow of life is a heavy one. Mr. Keck does not seem to mind. comems. mere are aimng rooms, panors, uving rooms, and bedrooms all in their exact original condition as though the family which called them home had washed the Sunday morning dishes, made the beds, and now absent at church.

An outstanding collection of early American and English pewter and ceramics supplements the Colonial rooms. The Museum takes particular pride In these which are idely known for theif'e'xcellenee. American glassware comes next with molded and blown shapes'of every sort and variety from the 18th century to the present day. This excursion into the recent past ends when the visitor turns once again to the stairway to see what the third floor has to offer. Behind him lie has left the pothooks and warming pans which his grandmother used and described.

Now stretching before him through room after room is a panorama of the arts and culture of ancient Egypt. From the Valley of the Nile Of all of the civilizations of the past, that of ancient Egypt is in the minds of many people the most glamorous. The incredible age of many of the objects preserved, the romantic aspects of the valley of the Nile where the tombs of the ancient kmes are to be found, and the nresence todav of the nvramids 1.200 people. Jn one coiner of the Sculpiuro Court there )s a stage. Here on every Sunday of the year except when Christmas falls on a Sunday, a concert is presented which is free to all who care to come and listen.

This roster of outstanding musical talent gains added importance from the fact that all of the artists who appear do so through their own generosity and courtesy. There is at present no budget available for these "Music on Display" concerts and consequently none of the artists presented are compensated. Due to the efforts of the musicologist of the Museum, Mr. David La Vita, these artists have been persuaded to give of their time and talent for the benefit of the public. in addition to the Sunday concerts, there are other events offered in the Sculpture Court, all of them without admission charge.

The modern Lyric Theater offers an evening Of opera in English once a month with young singers whose work merits attention. From time to time dance events and other forms of art entertainment are provided. The popularity of these presentations has been clearly established. Due to the hard surfaced walls and the physical shape of the confined spuce, the acoustics of the Sculpture Court are something less than ideal. This situation is now undergoing study.

By applying sound absorbing tile to the proper parts of the room, the situation will be improved to the benefit of listeners and performers alike. As soon as funds can be earmarked for this purpose, the work will be undertaken. It has sometimes happened in the past that projects such as this have been made possible through unexpected generosity on the part of someone who appreciates the situation and who desires to improve it. Incredible But Nevertheless True Immediately adjacent to the Sculpture Court is the Museum Lecture Hall. In a large long room an impromptu theater has been set up where lectures and other public events take place.

As is Hie case 'in thp Sculpture'tourt, nil of the public hcture presentations are available without charge. The Museum piovidcs a comfortably full schedule of concert events und other cultural entertainment ranging from. piano recituls and talks on Pennsylvania Dutch ceramics to concerts by full symphony orchestras. The fact that all of this is offered to the public completely free and without any strings whatever attached is a little incredible but none the less trxte. Coming dowrn to the second floor, the visitor finds that he has stepped into another part of the world.

Surrounding him are the arts and crafts of India, Siam, Korea, Japan, China, and Persia. Even the inaccessible and often unknown country of Tibet is represented; examples of its culture are proudly on display. It is while exploring this section of the Museum that the visiior discovers the library. While on the third floor he noted what he took to be the Museum library. Looking in through the glass doors he noted an impressive collection of books and manuscripts housed in a room the appearance of which revealed the touch of the designer's hand.

This was the Wilbour Library, a collection devoted entirely to Egyptology and one of the most complete in the world The Museum library proper is a different department. The visitor peers in the door, looks about him, and then hears someone speak in a clear normal voice. Since hushed whispering is the almost invariable rule in libraries, museum libraries in particular, the visitor withdraws with the suspicion in his mind that there is something about this library which is different from the rest. How right he is he does not at that moment even suspect. Wandering about the second floor the visitor chances upon a gallery devoted to photographs to which he pays some interested attention.

Rounding the corner he sees before him an inviting corridor and a reference to the fact that it leads to the Brooklyn Museum Art School. Completes Museum Tour Descending to the main floor the visitor finds the only things which had previously been missing from his survey of world cultures. Central Africa first engages his attention. Masks glare down at him from the walls. Uncomfortably potent weapons gleam at him from glass cases.

Peculiar looking musical instruments convey a suggestion of the particular skills required to arouse their voices. Africa by no means monopolizes the main floor. South America is represented by objects from Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. Central America has provided displays from Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala. All of this material predates Columbus' voyage to America.

The fantastic Mayan culture is told here in miniature models and in actual objects produced by the ancient people themselves. These collections are pre-eminent and comprise one of the Brooklyn Museum's most important attractions. They are unrivaled anywhere in this part of the world. The Indians of the United States are well represented in case after case of displays. The visitor has now sfen the cultures of all of the world, ancient, medieval, and modern, spread out before him.

As he considers the sum total of it all he might wonder, perhaps, how much he may have missed. Seeking for the answer, he applies for permission to viMt the sixth floor and takes the elevator up to the executive offices. Up in a corner office on the sixth floor of the Brooklyn Museum he finds Mr. Charles Nagel, who is the institution's director. Mr.

Nagel is an old and Sphinx all contribute to an aura of mysticism which surrounds this ancient African culture. There are mummies, of course, of human beings and of animals. There are sarcophagi, amulets, bronzes, scarabs, and hand at the game and knows his way around museums he is himself an architect and held many a responsible assignment in the field. "There is one thing in this Museum," said Mr. Nagel, "which is by far our greatest treasure.

1 am aware nf the fact that many of the things entrusted to our care are literally priceless and can never be duplicated. Some few of these are unique in the world. Despite this, I do not hesitate to say that our most valuable treasure is our staff. When you come to know them better, you will be ready, 1 think, to agree." Leaders in Their Fields "Dr. Herbert Spinden, our Curator of Primitive Arts and New World Cultures, is a celebrated authority, lie is widely consulted and by virtue of his great knowledge he is an outstanding personality in inter-American relations.

Mrs. Nathalie Zimmern, who works with him, is responsible for our exceptional Spanish Coionial collection. John Graham, our Curator of American Decorative Arts, Is the man who can claim to have the most popular feature in the Museum, the Colonial rooms on the fourth floor. Our Egyptological collections are the province of John D. Cooney.

Mrs. Elizabeth Riefstahl is his associate. Mr. John Baur, our Curator of Painting and Sculpture, is the man who is responsible for our distinguished collections in this field. Miss Una Johnson, who is Curator of Prints and Drawing, is very well known throughout the country.

"Then there Is George Kates, who has lived for years in the Orient and who now has one of our most important assignments as Curator of Oriental Art. Our Curator of Photography, Herman de Wetter, is both a very competent technician and a widely known aitist with a camera. People like these represent an enormous asset to any institution of learning and their value cannot be overestimated." Mr. Nagel's statement is based both on the quality of the personnel which makes up the Museum staff and the unique scope of the work which they do. The Industrial Design Division of the Museum, which is one of its most remarkable features, is under the experienced direction of Mrs.

Michelle Murphy, whose qualifications for her assignment are unrivaled. In the library the remarkable service features, which have made the library unique in its field, have been developed over a period of years by Mrs. Grace Banker. In addition to her administrative abilities, Mrs. Banker has a most extraordinary knowledge of the material at her disposal and can literally put her hand on practically anything desired on a moment's notice.

The Educational Division is the responsibility of Miss llanna Rose, who matches her activities, and those of her department, to the service standards which have made the Brooklyn Museum so widely known. They Can Read Chinese The scientific staff is made up of a quiet group of outstanding scholars who enjoy writing casual notes to each other in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and who can, and do, read with fluent ease from books which startled onlookers perceive to be in Chinese. One whole wing of the building, extending over several floors, is the province of Mr. Augustus Peck, who is the director of the Brooklyn Museum Art School. This amazing and very busy gentleman has built up a school, within a very short time, the description of which sounds like a new voyage of Sinbad the Sailor.

Several months before this visitor set foot in the Brooklyn Museum, the telephone rang in Mrs. Grace Banker's office. "We are going to do a new show," the instrument said, "wo plan to call it We would like your help in the project. It will probably take several months for us to investigate ail of the material which we will require. In particular, we need all sorts of costume information about various specific years in the 1S70 period.

We want to be exactly right, the year before or the year after will not There are larger book collections than the twenty-seven thousand odd volumes and manuscripts which arc available in the Brooklyn Museum library. There are also libraries in Manhattan much closer than the thirty-minute subway ride to the Brooklyn Museum from Times Square. But nowhere, in Hew York or anywhere else, can the unirjuc features of the Brooklyn Museum library be duplicated. To begin with, there is no complete catalogue. The members of the library staff don't need one and couldn't make use of it if it were available.

The time honored tradition of the tnree by five filing card is not for them. Instead, with a memory like fly-paper from which nothing ever escapes, Mrs. Banker and her staff know in detail the contents of every book and periodical in the library collection. In highly specialized libraries such as this one, a comprehensive cross index would have to take cognizance of almost every page of every book. When a caller comes to the Museum library, he does not need to whisper.

A member of the library staff interviews him nuncn eus oi oiner oojecis nose original owners uoa me nesert sands centuries before Christ. Many of these treasures were obtained in Egypt for the Brooklyn Museum by Henry lie Morgan whose excavations brought many new discoveries to light. Some of the Museum's most valuable pieces are to be found fin the Charles Edwin Wilbour Egyptian Hall, a memorial to the noted Egyptologist made possible through the generosity oi ine memoers ot nis iamuy. ine vvnoour collection includes much matprial nf Pnntir origin 'tpndinff nn tn thp 7th ppntnrv i i' A.D. Here many Christian objects are to be found, evidences of imperial Rome in its heyday, and enough other material to keep a scholar engrossed for months.

Free Concerts on Sundays Turning from the cultures of ancient peoples, the visitor finds himself shortly in the Sculpture Court. This is a very large room with pieces of American and European sculpture of the and 20th centuries arranged advantageously around ne perimeter. In the center of the court there is a fountain basin and surrounding it sufficient chairs to seat upwards of 'is mm Under the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, Brooklyn is served by four important cultural institutions, the Academy of Music, the Botanic Garden, the Children's Museum and the Brooklyn Museum. This last the classic building on Eastern Parkway is described today in the accompanying article, one of a series appearing in full-page form each Sunday. Next Sunday this space will be given over to a continuation of today's treatment of the Museum, describing its art classes, its design laboratory, its record collection and many other features.

I'll I xX-y i A six-footer sises up another big man Georqa Washington. Modern Brooklyn Looks at Ancient Egypt.