Refugee Art

Correspondent Herbert L. Matthews of the New York Times stopped on a crowded, rutted road outside Figueras one day last week to inspect several truckloads of notable refugees. The last time he had seen them was outside the Prado Museum in Madrid two years ago and he was glad to see they had survived the long flight, first to Valencia, then to Barcelona, and now to France. They were paintings, masterpieces by Goya, El Greco, Velazquez, Murillo. taken from the National Museum and the homes of wealthy Madrilenos. Their value was incalculable.

With Loyalist Catalonia fast disappearing and with no safe haven for the paintings remaining, Foreign Minister Julio Alvarez del Vayo early last week went to Perpignan, France, to arrange for their transfer to Geneva. From League authorities Senor Alvarez del Vayo extracted: 1) a promise that the art be kept under guard until the war is over; 2) a solemn assurance that the paintings remain forever the property of Spain, no matter what government is finally installed in Spain. Particularly did Minister Alvarez del Vayo want to make sure that the art would not fall into Italy's or Germany's hands. Finally, Generalissimo Francisco Franco was implored not to bomb the roads over which the-treasures were being moved. The General's aviators, who have never hesitated to blast women and children, complied. Directors of the Paris Louvre and the London National Gallery accompanied the paintings on their way to final safety.

Also in Perpignan popped up Jose Maria Sert, Spain's best known modern mural painter. As Generalissimo Francisco Franco's art representative, he wanted to check over the paintings which may soon --under the Loyalists' own terms--become Rebel Spain's property. Senor Sert declared himself satisfied that the paintings had been taken good care of, that they were all intact. On their nation's art Rebel and Loyalist had agreed.

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