Christmas in June

The Wildenstein Gallery in Paris steamed like a Turkish bath as some 1,700 visitors crowded in for a peek at the modern French Christmas pictures on the walls.

The show was the climax of a contest sponsored by Kansas City's Hall Brothers, Inc. (Hallmark cards), and designed to tap French talent for next year's batch of U.S. Christmas cards (TIME, March 21). Le Plan Hallmark, as the French immediately dubbed it, had drawn snorts & sneers from French Communists, 5,121 entries from the painters.

Last week's $2,000 top prize went to a competent 56-year-old second-rater named Edouard Goerg, whose Nativity with Birds was as sweet and fuzzy as spun candy. The second prize ($1,500), third prize ($1,000), and seven $750 honorable mentions all went to painters who were comparatively unknown in the U.S. Next autumn, Goerg's prizewinner will be brought to Manhattan to compete with U.S. entries for a $3,500 grand prize.

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