S1R,—The public might assume from recent letters to The Times
of the Chairman of the Tate Gallery Trustees that' when .the Picasso " Femme nue assise " and the Matisse " Notre-Dame " were acquired by the Gallery in 1949 they were purchased as carefully con- sidered additions to the Courtauld Collection out of the funds received from the sale of the Renoir, and that, though no announcement was made, labels indicating that they were Courtauld pictures were affixed at the time of purchase.
An article by the Director of the Tate Gallery which appeared in the Listener of November 23rd, 1950, states perfectly clearly that the two pictures mentioned above and, in addition, a second Picasso entitled " Buste de femme " were all three (I quote) " pur- chased out of a recent bequest" (Vol. XLIV, p. 583). Since the Courtauld Trust was not recent and was not a bequest, and since it has never—as far as I am aware—been associated with the purchase of " Buste de femme," the statements of the Chairman and the Director seem prima fade difficult to reconcile.
The explanation must presumably be that the particulars given by the Director were entirely accurate when they were written, and that the funds for the three purchases were in point of fact initially drawn from " a recent bequest." The Tate catalogue of 1947 records only the Knapping Bequest as being at the disposal of the Gallery, but the sum required— something over £6,000, judging by the Director's remarks—would have been much too considerable for it, in view of the large number of recorded Knapping purchases. Perhaps, however, it is a question of the R. P. Cleve Bequest, which is mentioned several times in the 1953 catalogue of the British School (Nos, 5925, 5926, 5927 and 5957; all acquired in 1950) ? In another case there has been a certain casualness as to the name of the benefactor (Carr in the catalogue reference to No. 5957, but Kerr on the frame), and one might be justified in enquiring whether the terms of the trust cover the purchase of sculpture (No. 6004).
It would appear that there has been a certain amount of confusion in the Tate finances and cataloguing. In this connection I am bound to say that I am in entire agree- ment with Sir Walter Lamb's admirable letter on respect for trusts which appeared in last week's Spectator.--Yours faithfully,
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