Page 23 - Studio International - November 1971

Correspondence Bear Lane's troubles Oxford Gallery in the High Street started in
The resignation of Mr Nick Waterlow as 1968 and has existed on a totally commercial
director of Bear Lane Gallery, Oxford comes basis, mainly showing a mixture of painting
as perhaps the last straw in the now long struggle and small sculpture, prints and crafts.
made by the gallery to obtain a sufficient Bear Lane Gallery started in 1958, so for
The 1922 Soviet Exhibition increase in funds from the Arts Council to keep
It has become known to me that in many its head above water whilst maintaining its the superstitious, it was thirteen years ago that it
periodicals as well as in some books, all over policy. began to build up towards its present position,
Europe as well as in America, a legend is being The Arts Council's unwillingness to which must be that of one of the very few
repeated falsely that the artist, El Lissitzky, was provincial galleries that have gained a reputation
increase the gallery's grant by the small amount as a serious gallery showing serious artists. Its
`the organizer of the Soviet Exhibition in Berlin
needed to keep it working might be due to regular one-man shows of established artists
at the Gallerie Van Dieman in 1922'.
various reasons—the obvious one of not having have played a part quite distinct from the other
I don't know for what kind of vested interests
enough for too many —the situation of supporting galleries here, and co-operative help from
this false information is spread therefore I would
two galleries in one provincial town—the dealers such as Leslie Waddington have helped
like you to print this photographic document
possible embarrassment of subsidizing a partly to bring substantial shows of work by Heron,
which I have in my archive; it is of the only
commercial gallery—and not least the mud Frost, Frink, Hitchens, Caulfield and Hoyland.
group of people who were active in that stirrings behind every such scene of those who
Exhibition in Berlin in 1922. The head of the have versus those who have not. Add to this Jack Smith, Scott, Piper and all of
organization was the Commissar, David However, what relevance have these facts these exhibitions come since April 1970 in the
Sternberg. Except for those five people who are in terms of the real job which Bear Lane space of eighteen months.
in the photo, nobody else of the many Russians Gallery has done up till now ? Oxford is If from this the label 'Establishment' is
who were at that time visitors in Berlin, had certainly fortunate as a provincial town in waved at the Gallery by those labelled 'New
anything to do with the organization or possessing more than one gallery showing good Activities' it may be relevant to Oxford's
arrangement of the Exhibition. contemporary work regularly. The Museum of situation. The Museum of Modem Art has
El Lissitzky was only one of the exhibitors larger and more adaptable facilities for 'New
and was represented in the Exhibition by a few Modern Art—a non-commercial gallery Activities' and has, from time to time, gone in
operating since the early sixties-established that direction. Although Bear Lane has staged
drawings, as listed in the catalogue.
itself with some first rate large paintings and environments, sculpture and kinetics, it is
It would be good if you would make public
this information and re-print the photograph sculpture together with kinetics, light sound obvious that the larger gallery is better
shows, student and postgraduate exhibitions. It equipped for those media. In relation to 'who
with the names given underneath. Also, some
also does a valuable job in housing gets "how much"', the labels 'Establishment'
ascribe the design for the cover of the catalogue
undergraduate art societies by making available versus 'New Activities' certainly do exist, but
of the Exhibition to Lissitzky, whereas the
its large spaces for films, concerts, lectures etc. they can do so only by virtue of each other, and
design on the cover is the work of Nathan It is unfortunately thought by many of the
Altmann who is in the photo. This too should public to be more avant garde than is the case; it follows that for artist and public a clearer
be corrected. sometimes seems physically forbidding and due understanding of the meaning, or emptiness, of
I think it is important to print this letter such grouping is possible if they can be
together with the photo document of those who to its admission charges can prove a moderately examined relatively. Consequently the different
expensive family outing—and usually a lonely
were the only participants in the arrangement of one—perhaps inevitably creating something of roles of the galleries both stimulate and
the Exhibition in Berlin and so stop the spread its own elite. clarify much by their contrasts (and similarities).
of false information. If, as has been suggested, the Arts Council feel
there is an anomaly in supporting two galleries
NAUM GABO
Connecticut At the Soviet Exhibition, Berlin, 1922—Gabo's Torso, in one City, this seems to be a precept rather
Sternberg, Marianov (Cheka), Nathan Altmann,
than an appreciation of the value of distinct
Gabo, Dr Lutz (Director of Gallerie Van Dieman).
contributions.
Talks of mergers between the Museum of
Modern Art and Bear Lane have been an open
secret. Such a merger may be possible—but
for what present purpose one can't imagine,
unless it is merely to cut down on the cost of
publicity by doing it in bulk. A merger under
the same roof must inevitably lead to a
confusion in aims and administration. Surely
any informed party must be aware that no
gallery in the provinces could or does keep
afloat by selling the costly works of painters
such as those mentioned. The sheer numbers of
clientele do not exist in any provincial city,
artists certainly know it, although Bear Lane
probably sells as much as other provincial
galleries. By showing such painters the gallery
has acted on its intention to present as often as
it can a considerable range of the core of
British painting whilst knowing that this is
commercially dangerous if not suicidal. Who
knows, perhaps the determination to do without
admission charges and the refusal to complicate
its image with jewellery cases and earthenware
is a financial mistake. If there is an objection

171