Grad Commons Gets Modern Murals

Three non-objective murals will decorate the walls of the new Graduate Commons it was learned last night. The funds necessary to secure the paintings were made available through an anonymous gift by a Law School graduate.

The murals will be compositions of "pleasing shapes and colors, intended to brighten the appearance of the building," and will be prepared by three internationally recognized artists, Jean Miro, Herbert Bayer, and Hans Arp.

Walter Gropius, professor of Architecture and a member of The Architects Collaborative, the group which has planned the dormitories said recently that, "In order to avoid too austere an appearance, it has been part of the plan from the beginning to provide designs of enjoyable forms and colors for strategic walls."

The gift has provided enough money for just the three murals, according to John P. Coolidge, associate professor of Fine Arts and Director of Fogg Museum.

Jean Miro is commonly regarded as one of the three most distinguished artists now living, showing an extraordinary sense of humor for an artist in the non-objective field. Miro makes one of symbolism more than either of the other two artists. His latest work is a mural for the new Emery Hotel in Chicago.

Bayer is a former student of Gropius at the Bauhaus and is recognized both as a painter and an industrial designer. Bayer, in his late forties, has not Hraited himself to painting, but is considered one of the most promising men in the field.

Arp has done sculpture in all types of materials and is known for his excellent work in relief, achieving a decorative and aesthetic effect in basic materials.