Employment at the Tate James Bolivar Manson

self-portrait j.b. manson, c.1912

lilian close friend of tate director charles aitken and, in summer 1911, mansons stayed him @ holiday home in alfriston, sussex. manson had assisted aitken hanging show @ tate , director sufficiently impressed suggest manson took job of clerk, vacant since former occupant had been pilfering petty cash. manson achieved far best results out of 4 applicants taking appropriate civil service exam, and, age 33, became tate clerk on 9 december 1912 annual salary of £150. reluctance take job had been overcome wife, wanted provision 2 daughters; continued paint intensely @ weekends.

with keeper, jointly responsible staff supervision, office administration , care of collection. manson considered have given aitken liking french impressionism , have highlighted camden town group, though leader, walter sickert, still outside official canon. when sickert offered tate in 1915, manson wrote, tell trustees think sickert—but question whether important enough tate. think not; old friend of artist perhaps prejudiced judge.

still life flowers j.b. manson, c.1919

in 1914, joined london group. 1915, showed work new english art club (neac). because work gallery considered indispensable, exempt military service; in 1917, promoted assistant keeper. in 1919, lucien pissarro formed monarro group manson london secretary , théo van rysselberghe paris secretary, aiming show artists inspired impressionist painters, claude monet , camille pissarro; group ceased 3 years later. in 1923, @ leicester galleries, manson held first solo show of work. in 1927, became member of neac. reputation artist flower painter , art main ambition, uncertain whether allow him earn full-time living—in 1928 asked roger fry s advice on matter. however, in 1930, became director of tate, post held until 1938.

he wrote art criticism, introduction tate s collection, hours in tate gallery (1926) , books on degas (1927), rembrandt (1929), john singer sargent , dutch painting.

director of tate

manson had minor accident, delayed taking post of director of tate month, until august 1930. according tate web site, least successful of tate s directors. own artistic ambitions had not been fulfilled, had unhappy marriage , drank excess; suffered depression, blackouts , paranoia; , had long periods off work sick. kenneth clark described him having, flushed face, white hair , twinkle in eye; , twinkling got him out of scrapes have sunk worthier man without trace.

tate britain in 2004 (renamed tate gallery in 2000).

during time director, there no annual funding acquisitions government; had decline camille pissarro s offer loan painting la causette gallery lacked funds transport , insurance. manson complained friend, lucien pissarro conservative taste of trustee board—which had rejected work both monet , renoir—although himself averse post impressionist work, neglecting london shows artists such van gogh , matisse, until had no option accept 2 oils latter in 1933 part of bequest. same year, , trustees rejected donation of 4 william coldstream paintings , 2 henry moore sculptures, and, in 1935, declined buy matisse s interior figure £2000, turned down loan of picabia s courtyard in france , offer of gift of 3 roger fry oils. in 1938, manson asked sir robert sainsbury if tate borrow study of eve french sculptor charles despiau. sainsbury assented on condition gallery showed 1932 mother , child of friend henry moore. manson s response was, on dead body.

although frank rutter, sunday times art critic, praised advances in gallery s position on art since foundation, others—notably douglas cooper—who familiar contemporary european avant-garde art, such surrealism , german expressionism (which not represented @ in tate) considered hopelessly insular . manson preferred put on popular show of cricket pictures, coinciding 1934 ashes tour, , in 1935 substituted exhibition professor tonks proposed sickert retrospective.

the high points of irregular , dull exhibition programme centenaries, in 1933 of birth of edward burne-jones , in 1937 of death of john constable. other achievements accomplished during term of office included formal change of name national gallery, millbank tate gallery in october 1932, planting of cherry trees outside in 1933, installation of electric lighting in 1935 , toilets. manson on 1932 venice biennale british selection committee, staging shows in brussels in 1932 , bucharest in 1936.

decline

towards end of term of office, manson s life declined alcoholism; drunk @ board meetings , on 1 occasion wrapped in blanket , carried out after had fallen onto floor. suffered public blow prestige, when staff member wrote in catalogue french artist utrillo dead , had been confirmed dipsomaniac —neither of true—leading court case manson named defendant; settlement in court on 17 february 1938 included tate purchase of utrillo painting.

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.