Decline James Bolivar Manson

hotel george v in paris

on 4 march 1938, manson attended dinner organised kenneth clark @ hotel george v in paris celebrate british exhibition taking place @ louvre museum. clive bell recorded eventualities in letter wife:

manson arrived @ déjeuner given minister of beaux arts fantastically drunk—punctuated ceremony cat-calls , cock-a-doodle-doos, , staggered feet, hurled obscene insults @ company in general , minister in particular, , precipitated himself on ambassadress, lady phipps, amorous intent others lethal intent.

bell concluded:

the guests fled ices uneaten, coffee undrunk... hope example made, , seize opportunity turning sot out of tate, not because sot, because has done nothing harm modern painting.

kenneth clark has stated manson asked resign on health grounds because of foreign office request.

sculpture blind constantin brâncuși, c.1920, veined marble. philadelphia museum of art, louise , walter arensberg collection, 1950.

in period before public announcement made of leaving tate, cause of further controversy. number of sculptures, chosen marcel duchamp , en route paris peggy guggenheim s london gallery, had been held customs officers, needed ascertain whether in fact art , exempt duty. in such circumstances, arbiter director of tate. artists included jean arp , raymond duchamp-villon. manson pronounced constantin brâncuși s sculpture blind (a large, smooth, egg-shaped marble) idiotic , not art . letters written press, critics signed protest petition, , manson criticised in house of commons; backed down.