Page 19 - Studio International - July/August 1967

responsible for what prestige our artists Tate. First the Sunday Telegraph's leaking of process, and constitute a 'move to pre-
command anywhere outside this country the news spoiled what was meant to be a determine greatness' on the part of
except the United States, where the British seventieth birthday celebration. Then the officialdom. Moore, to his younger con-
Council doesn't operate. But its budgets are publicity stampeded tentative discussions temporaries, obviously appears now to have
still of a kind which humiliatingly require into arguable assertions of fact. And then become a classic case of the Establishment
it to ask foreign museums to bear much of there came the letter to The Times of April artist—one whose 'heroic achievements' may
the cost of its exhibitions (in sharp contrast 26 questioning the entire arrangement on not be in question, but whose sponsoring in
with American practice) and it is completely principle, and signed by forty-one artists a 'heroic and monumental role' is specifically
unable to meet the need, for example, to including (to mention only sculptors) rejected. It can be an invidious argument
extend the British Pavilion at the Venice Anthony Caro, Elizabeth Frink, Phillip when it comes down to particular instances,
Biennale, which is now an active impedi- King, Eduardo Paolozzi, Peter Startup, as Victor Pasmore tartly suggested. But it is
ment to the proper showing of sculpture William Tucker, William Turnbull and an essential argument, bound up with the
there. Yet this year the Arts Council has Brian Wall. It was a significant letter which whole twentieth-century tradition of batter-
received grants of almost embarrassing duly shocked the Establishment: not ing against that obstinate citadel, the
generosity. And included in these grants is a surprisingly, for it was an anti-Establishment museum-making, honours-list, anti-radical
substantial sum for the organizing of letter. And this seems to me the essential habit of mind. On that issue, in the nature
exhibitions abroad—a function for which it point which subsequent correspondence of things, the artist and the Establishment
has never been, and has no need to be, either missed or confused. The gift, if must always be, less or more acrimoniously,
equipped. Cannot Miss Jennie Lee insist on massively enshrined the at Tate (when at loggerheads, if not cross-purposes.
some inter-departmental co-operation which everyone thought that Moore's natural Henry Moore's recent work — carvings in
rules out such anomalies? `museum', if there were to be one, should Carrara marble — are on exhibition at Marlborough
be in the open air and preferably at Much Fine Art, London, from July 12 to August 31.
DPoor Henry Moore must be kicking Hadham), would not merely tie up valuable Josef Svoboda's drawings and designs are
himself for suggesting he might donate some space, but jeopardise the reading of modern on show at the Grosvenor Gallery, London,
twenty to thirty major sculptures to the art in a modern museum as a 'radical' until August 12.

Below left, Josef Svoboda's set for The Tales of Hoffman by Offenbach and, right, for the Makropoulus Affair by Janacek, both commissioned by the
Prague National Theatre

Harold Cohen studied at the Slade School of Art. He Jean Clay, the French art critic, is a regular contribu- Corrections In the June issue Kevin Gough-Yates
has had many one-man exhibitions and his work can tor to Réalités, and contributing editor to Studio was mistakenly described as a contributor to Sight
be seen in the Tate Gallery, London, the British Council International. and Sound.
collection, London, and the Art Gallery of Toronto. We also apologize for the fact that the reproduction
Frank Whitford is at present living in Berlin and re-
of Tess Jaray's Narcissus 1967 (June issue, p. 311)
searching into early twentieth century German paint-
Gene Baro, a frequent contributor to Studio Inter- ing and graphic art. was inverted.
national, also contributes to Art International, the
London Magazine and other periodicals and is London Book reviewers are listed in the Supplement on art
Correspondent of Arts Magazine and Art in America. books.