David Finley: Quiet Force for America's Arts (review)

Although frequently called upon to be a public figure, David E. Finley thrived behind the scenes. For this reason he has been all but forgotten in the thirty years since his death. In this new biography David Doheny reconstructs Finley's career, arguing persuasively that he was responsible for the development of much of Washington, D.C., as we know it today as well as for the preservation of numerous American and international historic sites.

Over the course of six decades David Finley was involved in the creation and work of numerous organizations dedicated to promoting the cultural life of the United States and to preserving its heritage. These included the National Gallery of Art, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Roberts Commission, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, and the creation of the National Portrait Gallery.

During a stint at the Treasury in 1924 Finley attracted the attention of its secretary, Andrew W. Mellon. This would prove to be the defining point of his career. Finley quickly rose to become Mellon's personal assistant, working on governmental issues as well as aiding him in the acquisition of a world-class art collection. Mellon intended his collection to form the basis for the NationalGallery of Art, a wish he saw fulfilled when Congress chartered the institution months before his death in 1937.

Doheny appropriately devotes more space to Finley's association with theNational Gallery than to any other subject; it would not be the institution it is today without his leadership, and it represented three decades of his career. Dohenyrelates the history of Mellon's acquisitions, including his long and sometimes strainedrelationship with the great British art dealer Lord Joseph Duveen. This section isfascinating, including one eight-million-dollar purchase that included eighteen sculptures and twenty-four paintings, the prices for which were settled over lunch.

Doheny emphasizes the importance of Mellon and Finley to ensuring the National Gallery's success by demonstrating the serious thought they devoted to issues both large and small. Mellon's gift stipulated that Congress must support the building and collection in perpetuity, thereby providing the institution with reasonable security against budget fluctuations. He also required that the chief justice of the Supreme Court preside as head of the board of trustees, an additional protection against any possible legal entanglement. Recognizing the power of ego, Mellon did not want the institution to bear his name in order to encourage donations from other collectors.

After Congress accepted the gift Mellon hired John Russell Pope to be the chief architect. The two men worked out an initial design concept, but, sadly, they died within twenty-four hours of one another in August 1937. This left David Finley with the monumental task of executing the architect's and patron's visions. Doheny describes the many decisions Finley, who had no background in museum work, had to make, including hiring a curatorial and administrative staff and determining almost every element of the layout of the galleries. Anyone familiar with the beautiful West Building of the National Gallery will appreciate the significance of the details Finley considered, including the choice of wall coverings to complement objects from different time periods and cultures. It was Finley who suggested that the rooms with Dutch paintings have oak paneling while the Italian galleries have travertine stone doorways (137). Doheny also quotes Finley's memory of sketching, with the help of his wife, Margaret, "rooms of varying sizes, placing the doors in such a way that one could see through them a painting or a piece of sculpture, not another door or a series of doors as in so many other galleries" (136). The visual power of Gilbert Stuart's The Skater (1782) when first glimpsed from a gallery away resoundingly confirms Finley's design.

David Doheny is not a historian by training. He was general counsel for the National Trust...