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American Collecting--7

American people." The words instruction and pleasure are key words. In America, there has always been this dual attitude about art. Especially in the late nineteenth century, there was a feeling that enjoyment of art was civilizing and elevating, a morally uplifting activity for the people. 

The first generation of great American collectors set the pattern of giving to the public. Charles Lang Freer's supers oriental treasures were a gift, with the building to the house them, to the United States government. Johnson, Frick, Altman, the Havemeyers, Walters, Widener--one after another-- turned private pleasures into public benefactions. 

An interesting example of the moral justification for art collecting is the case of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Mxx. Mr. Rockefeller's first love was for porcelains. Then his affections widened to the whole wonderful world of medieval craftsmanship and Renaissance sculptures. He took pleasure in these objects which he acquired. But he always worried about it. This son of the then richest man in the world had been brought up strictly to despise ostentation and extravagance. He felt uneasy lest he was letting his expenditures for art jeopardize other philanthropic causes. Should a simple Puritan allow himself such indulgence. he kept wondering. But he found his justification. The beautiful objects would, as he said, in time come into public possession. In the end, beauty would be preserved for a wider audience. And, indeed, the public has vastly benefitted by Mr. Rockefeller's indulgence. Among other benefactions is The Cloisters, the Metropolitan Museum; a branch museum of medieval art high on the bluffs above the Hudson River. Mr. Rockefeller gave the exquisite setting; he is responsible for ninety-five percent of it's contents; and a few years ago, he gave ten million dollars outright, "for the enrichment of The Cloisters in the broadest sense of the term and for the preservation, housing and presentation of its collection." 

The tradition of public giving of art has continued in America.