Jacob Epstein Postcard to James Bolivar Manson 12 March 1912
Jacob Epstein 1880–1959Postcard to James Bolivar Manson 12 March 1912Tate Archive TGA 806/1/301© The estate of Sir Jacob Epstein
Jacob Epstein 1880–1959Postcard to James Bolivar Manson 12 March 1912Tate Archive TGA 806/1/301© The estate of Sir Jacob Epstein
The sculptor Jacob Epstein and the painter James Bolivar Manson met in 1903 when they shared a studio in Paris while studying. Despite their artistic differences, the two became good friends and obviously encouraged and helped one another. As well as being an artist, Manson also wrote art criticism. In this letter Epstein thanks Manson for an article he has written in Outlook about his ‘monument’. Epstein was commissioned to sculpt a memorial for Oscar Wilde’s tomb in Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris. He worked on the sculpture in London before having it transported to Paris in September 1912. See also TGA 792/17, TGA 806/1/300, TGA 806/1/302, TGA 806/1/303 and TGA 806/1/304.
Transcript
[Handwritten:]
Mar. 12 1912.
Mar. 12 1912.
[Letterhead:] 72, Cheyne Walk,
Chelsea, S.W.
Chelsea, S.W.
My dear Manson
I have just got the Outlook & like what you have written about my monument. The insertion at the end is ridiculous & feeble. I should very much like to see the whole article when you [end of p.1] can get it back from the editor. If the editor is not absolutely a damned fool he must see your value to his paper.
Come in when we can have a talk; there were too many yesterday.
Greetings to your wife
Greetings to your wife
Sincerely yours,
Jacob Epstein
How to cite
Jacob Epstein, Postcard to James Bolivar Manson, 12 March 1912, in Helena Bonett, Ysanne Holt, Jennifer Mundy (eds.), The Camden Town Group in Context, Tate Research Publication, May 2012, https://www