Art: The Lavery Affair

The Tate Gallery, London’s famous storehouse of modern art, supplementingthe old masters in the National, was offered by Lady Cunard, of the great shipping family, Sir John Lavery’s portrait of his wife, one of the show pieces of last year’s Royal Academy. The governing committee refused to accept it, and the pot boiled over. Lady Cunard submitted her resignation from the committee in a caustic letter with the rebuke: “One cannot permit an artist of Lavery’s distinction and age to be insulted like that.” Lady Lavery and Lady Cunard are both Americans, and the rejection has been ascribed by some to anti-American prejudice. Others see in the incident a well laid scheme of the painter to have his wife immortalized in the exclusive gallery. The predilections of the committee are toward the French school.

Sir John, now in his 67th year, and an R.A. since 1896, has long ranked among the first portrait painters of the world. He is represented in many of the greatest public galleries of Europe and America, and some years ago had the one-man show at the Pittsburgh International. It is said that the Tate officials suggested that they would like to have one of his earlier productions, but Lavery said ” No.” The portrait of his wife has been rated by several of the best critics as a masterpiece. It is possible that the picture may come to the Metropolitan.