THE LANE COLLECTION
SIR,—The 'abstraction' of one of the Lane Collection pictures from the Tate Gallery revives the controversy about their proper abiding place. The moral and legal arguments for or against their retention by either this country or Ireland arc so nicely balanced that it seems that no perfect solution will ever be found. I have long been unable to understand, there- fore, why some common-sense compromise cannot be found whereby, for instance, the collection should be ceded or transferred to Dublin on the condition or understanding that once, say, every five years they are sent to this- country for a period of six months for exhibition in London and other cities. The cost of such transfers could be borne by each country in turn.
Whether or not we can interpret the wishes of Sir Hugh Lane, surely the essential thing is that his collection shall be available to be seen by the people of both countries. Such a gesture would come the better from us, who are so rich in collections of paintings that we are unable to exhibit more than a small part of them for lack of space, whereas Ireland, in this respect, is so much the poorer.—Yours faithfully,
HARRY BURROWS
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