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14. Hrvatski zmaj. Glasilo Vite—kog Reda Hrvatskog Zmaja. Zagreb, 1944, pp. 105-105.15. Prister, Boris. Znakovi drustva “Braæa Hrvatskog Zmaja”. Summary: Symbols used by the “Bro-

thers of the Croatian Dragon”. Numizmatieke vijesti (Zagreb), 33/1991, No. 44, pp. 158-173.16. Kolariæ, J., op. cit. 2000, pp. 57-69.17. Kajkaviana Croatica. Hrvatska kajkavska rijee. Zagreb, 1996; Kajkaviana croatica varasdi-

nensis. Izbor kajkavskih knjiga tiskanih starim pravopisom. (Vara—din,) 1997.18. Petkoviæ, M., op. cit. 2000.19. Mirnik, Ivan. Werk Andrae Kompatschers in Agram. Der Schopfer des Bozner Laurinsbrunnens

goss zusammen mit A. Winder einen hl. Georg. Dolomiten (Bozen/Bolzano), No. 111, Dienstag16.V.1995., p. 17.

Photo Credits

1, 2, 5 Brethren of the Croatian Dragon, Zagreb3 Griesbach and Knaus, 1925, by courtesy of the Zagreb City Museum.4 Josip Vranic, Zagreb, by courtesy of the Zagreb City Museum.6, 7, 8 By courtesy of the Regional Museum at Ozalj.9 Reproduced from Der Golf von Buccari — Porto Re, by Archduke Ludwig Salvator von Habsburg,Prague, 1871.

PII:S0260-4779(01)00046-2

The British Art Journal and Somerset House

Now published three times a year, The British Art Journal first appeared inautumn 1999 as a new research journal focusing on British art studies and editedby Robin Simon. It includes a museological dimension and, as if to reinforce thepoint, the fourth issue (vol. 2, no. 2, Winter 2000/2001) is dedicated to ‘Somer-set House: The building & collections’. When the Editors of this journal werestudents of art history at the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London,in the early 1960s there was, notwithstanding the zeal of Dr. Margaret Whinneyand others, almost an air of apology when the British national school came underdiscussion. Today the problem is more one of fragmentation as the emphasis isplaced on Scottishness or Welshness, or for that matter feminist and gay agendas,each faction displaying its own style of scholarship.

Robin Simon, as founding Editor, seeks “to bring together in one place thevery best work being carried out in whatever manner, provided always that itis written in an intelligible way.” All its research articles are refereed, partly inresponse to the arrival of research assessment in the British universities, but thisnew Journal also sets out to draw upon the astonishing amount of high qualityresearch being carried out in the commercial world, in the preparation of cata-logues, dossiers, etc. This is reflected in the strong roster of ‘Supporters’ listed,though the leading patrons are G.-R. Flick and Mrs. James Brice. Furthermore,the Editor also hints that, apart from studies of British art, studies of art originat-ing from Britain are also to be encompassed, and this slight ambiguity — to beexploited with imagination — is not without value in encouraging the net tobe cast rather wider. Volume I comprised two issues, but Volume II, commenc-ing autumn 2000, marks a move to three issues per volume, at no extra cost to

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1. Interior of the Courtyard of Somerset House, London, designed by Sir William Cham-bers and begun in 1775. The fountains, comprising a rectilinear grid of 55 water jets,were realised in memory of Edmond J. Safra and began to play in August 2000. Photo

Credits: Peter Cannon-Brookes, Abingdon.

subscribers because of the support which the venture has received. From latesummer 2000, The British Art Journal web-site (www.britishartjournal.co.uk)has functioned more fully and searchable texts of all articles published are tobe posted on it, beginning with the first issue.

In the meantime, the Somerset House issue is divided into four sections —devoted to ‘Somerset House’, ‘The Gilbert Collection’, ‘The Courtauld Instituteof Art’ and ‘The Hermitage Rooms’, with a ‘Foreword’ contributed by Lord Roth-schild who, more than any other single individual, has created the cultural com-plex there enjoyed today. It is, perhaps, typical of the British that the greatest‘palace’ built during the 18th century in London was not created to house theKing who ruled over the most powerful mercantile nation in Europe but byParliament to accommodate its growing army of administrators. Sir WilliamChambers’s magnificent Neo-Classical building (begun 1775) is arranged roundits central Courtyard, between the Strand and the River Thames, and it remaineda splendid office block, virtually unknown even to Londoners, until the 1970swhen a campaign was launched by Simon Jenkins to open it up to public access.The Courtauld Institute moved into the Strand Building in 1989 and opened itsGallery in the Fine Rooms in 1990, while Sir Arthur Gilbert offered in 1996 tothe British nation his outstanding collection of decorative art, on condition thatan appropriate home was found for it. This was the catalyst for winkling outsome of the remaining government departments, and The Gilbert Collectionduly opened to the public in May 2000. Concurrently, Lord Rothschild had beenin negotiation with Mikhail Piotrovski, the Director of the Hermitage, St. Peters-burg, from spring 1999, and in November 2000 The Hermitage Rooms opened

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in their turn to the public. Other developments are anticipated when the InlandRevenue’s leases of the East, West and New Wings expire in due course, whilethe great Courtyard has been repaved and enhanced with a rectilinear grid of55 water jets, computer controlled and lit by fibre optics.

Peter Cannon-Brookes

PII:S0260-4779(01)00045-0

‘The Jackdaw’ Comes to Town

During the period after the Second World War most art critics in the Free Worldwere freelance and, notwithstanding the intriguing revelations of Frances StonorSaunders concerning the CIA manipulation of contemporary exponents of intel-lectual freedom,1 few depended upon their occasional journalistic earnings. Sub-sequently, expanding arts coverage required more in-house arts journalism andthe pressures of job security brought with them an inevitable loss of indepen-dence. It is entirely human to enjoy the comfort of swimming with the tideand thus protect both current employment and future employability, but it isnevertheless a sad reflection on the current state of cultural politics that so fewwriters and broadcasters are prepared to be critical of even the wilder excessesof conceptual art. The problem is compounded by the corrupting influence ofsponsorship deals and the concealed pressures thereby exerted on journalists:Can one afford to publish an adverse review? Observers of the current state of artcriticism lament, in private, the pandering to the perceived demands of PoliticalCorrectness, the weasel words by which qualitative judgements are avoided, andthe failure to accord to the figurative tradition adequate constructive criticism.

Soft-centred liberalism leading to a mindless consensus is healthy for neitherpractising artists nor the community they seek to address. However, newspapersand journals cost money to produce and distribute, and rich men imbued withaltruism are in distinctly short supply. Consequently it takes both intellectualcourage and commitment to adopt consistently a range of unfashionable causesand refuse to be silenced. David Lee is well-informed and not afraid of speakinghis mind and providing a platform for others unwilling to submit themselves tothe consensus. The Jackdaw is a monthly newsletter devoted to recent newsand comment about visual art which began publication in September 2000, andit is both edited and published by him. In David Lee’s own admission some ofthe comment may be scurrilous, but it is always well-researched and serious.“It aspires to be informative, provocative and entertaining, but will settle forthe last”. The Evening Standard (London) has described The Jackdaw as “intelli-gent” and “bruisingly critical”, while the Tate Gallery refuses to stock it (“Wecan’t sell it…too aggressively critical…too anti the Tate”) and the BirminghamCity Art Gallery concurred (“…totally unsuitable for Birmingham…”). Nonethe-less, for art museum curators The Jackdaw has the virtue of putting forwardideas which embody a different viewpoint to that of the dominant consensus.Museums are dedicated to providing a forum in which different interpretationsof material evidence are not merely tolerated but cultivated, and independentpublications which refuse to conform play an important role in that mission.