From Rome Laurvik went to Venice, where he was greatly helped by the
American consul, B. H. Carroll, Jr. Though the International Exhibit
held in Venice every two years had closed several months before, many of
the works of art were still there, their owners, either afraid or unable
to take them away and yet concerned about their being so close to the
scene of war. It was the general concern that enabled Laurvik to secure
some of his finest material. Together with the Italian work, he arranged
to have shipped here on the Jason, Norwegian and Hungarian paintings and
fifty canvases by the man regarded as the greatest living painter in
Finland, Axel Gallen-Kallela. He also made a short journey from Venice
to the home of Marinetti, the journalist, poet and leader of the.
Italian Futurist painters, who, after much persuading, promised to send
fifty examples of the work done by the ten leaders in his group.
On leaving Venice Laurvik started for Vienna. In spite of the war, he
was promised support by the Minister of Art. Unfortunately, the art
societies fell to quarreling, and gave little or no help. Then Laurvik
appealed to the artists themselves. In Kakosha, one of the best known
among the Austrian painters, he found an ally. The collection he made in
Vienna included several of Kakosha's canvases, lent by their owners, and
a large number of etchings.