Description
GERALD KELLY R.A. Typed Letters Signed.
British painter best known for his portraits. Sir Gerald Kelly was president of the Royal Academy from 1949 to 1954.
A good series of 3 TLsS from Sir Gerald Kelly with autograph additions. 5pp. 117 Gloucester Place, Portman Square, W.1. 5th May, 28th May and 2nd June, 1964. All to Miss Catherine Moody, dealing with his loan of paintings of nudes for her exhibition and to efforts being made to trace a lost painting by Sir George Clausen, 'Primavera'. Together with his rough note on the contents of a parcel of drawings, Gerald Kelly copy letter to the journalist Marita Ross, her letter to Catherine Moody regarding the picture and the exhibition, a press cutting and a small bundle of Catherine Moody's own copy correspondence to Sir Gerald Kelly and Miss Ross relating to this.
Sir Gerald Kelly is charmingly modest about his own work, saying "you started this correspondence by asking some kind of help from me, and before I knew what was happening, I had confessed that I myself had painted nudes. I said that I thought you ought to have variety in your exhibition. Then we progressed and I sent you photographs of my pictures of nudes, and thank you for sending them back. But now you are taking a wrong turning. I think you are making a mistake if you have too many Kelly's in it, although I do not mind you making a mistake because it will be fun to think of all those Kelly's hanging on your walls. But I would rather that my photograph is not used in the Malvern Gazette because then the whole thing would seem too much like an advertisment for Kelly, the painter. It is not very easy to make this clear, but this time I know that this is not what I want you to do." He also writes with wit on his fruitless quest to track down the nude 'Primvera' by Sir George Clausen. His "luck seemed to have turned" when he put an advertisement in 'The Times' and was contacted by the daughter of a deceased former owner. She gave him the name of auctioneers who had sold it and, through them, traced the art dealer who had bought it but "Alas! I cannot get the old gentleman who sold the 'Primavera' to look into his records and tell me to whom he sold her. Blast him!" He then goes into detail about the content and history of 10 drawings made by George Clausen which he had obtained from his son and which he is sending for the exhibition. He then changes his mind about sending one of his own paintings of nudes and adds in manuscript "I am sending you a nude on a sofa - which I liked doing but don't know that you'll like it. So don't hang it if you feel that way." Each signed with good full signature.
The Gerald Kelly letters are all 12mo. Approx 8 x 5 inches. One with original envelope. One has an old paper-clip mark but they are else fine. The other correspondence is of A4 and other sizes and is in fine condition.
From the studio archive of Malvern artists Victor Hume Moody and his daughter, Catherine. V.H. Moody was principal of the Malvern School of Art (1935-1962) in which post he was succeeded by his daughter. Both were figurative artists in the classical tradition and opposed to modernism. Victor, and subsequently, Catherine, organized several exhibitions in Malvern and it is in this connection that Sir Gerald Kelly is writing. Gerald Kelly is not known for his nudes and the letters are of some interest.
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