DLA018-0029  Transcription

WOLMER WOOD,

MARLOW COMMON,

MARLOW, BUCKS.

Feby. 26th 1930.

My dear Philip

I think I can help to solve the mystery about the phone message. There is no R.B.A. dinner and nothing of the kind has been suggested since Sickert^[1] had his bread and cheese and beer supper some months ago. But the dinners of the Artists’ General benevolent Institution is due soon and at that there is to be a R.B.A. table at which the R.B.A. members will sit together. I should think the phone message referred to that. But who Mrs Granger is I do not know. I asked Miss Roberts^[2] today whether the name was Mrs Granger-Taylor^[3] but she said she only heard the name Granger. If it was Mrs Granger Taylor who phoned, its is curious, as she is not the steward of the R.B.A. table and she resigned her membership of the R.B.A. when Sickert left – the steward for the R.B.A. is [General?] Inchmond.

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By the way, I heard a rumour today that Mrs Granger-Taylor is thinking of withdrawing her resignation of her membership and has become an enthusiastic supporter of you! It seems a little difficult to believe after her vehement support of Sickert in the past I gather that her return to the society is not particularly wanted as she is rather a difficult person & is too anxious to have her own way in things – and that [illegible words].

I was at no. 3 last night and found Henry and his wife, and Stephen flourishing.^[4] London was rather dingy but not foggy and not so cold as it was last week. I did my usual round of shows; the London Portrait Society exhibition, at the new Burlington Galleries, is quite passable and I like some portraits in it, although there is nothing, perhaps, of the first rank and there is a collection of drawings and paintings of a Japanese artist at the Fine Art Society – it is rather amusing and fairly clever, but some of the paintings go away too much from the Japanese tradition.

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The best of them are those which do not show too much European influence. At the Fine Art Society there is another show of pictures of a Scottish painter, they are [illegible words] and of an unpleasant [illegible words/sentence].

I hope you have arrived at Hyeres, that you are both quite well and that my letter, which was posted on Sunday, has duly reached you. I have, as you see, very little news to add to what I wrote in that but there is very little happening just now that is at all interesting. The accounts of the weather along the Italian coast sound as if you might be having it rather rough but perhaps it is better at Hyeres – I hope so, as you will want sunny days for your golf.

Patry^[5] has this moment rund me up – there was a meeting at the R.B.A. this afternoon to elect a President and the result was – de Laszio [sic] 39 votes, Maclean^[6] 18. So, there you are; what are you going to [illegible] it? It is a

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healthy majority and works out as more than two thirds of members present at the meeting.

There is to be another meeting in a fortnight’s time for your formal election as a full member of the society. Patry said on the phone that the meeting was just over and your supporters were celebrating the event with a bottle of champagne. Morley,^[7] he said, was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Well, all my heartiest congratulations, I think the majority is substantial enough to justify your acceptance of the position and I have every faith in the power of your personality to bring over to your side the [bulk?] even the people who did not vote for you. I shall be anxious to hear your views on the election.

Our love to you both, | always yours

A.L.B.

Editorial Note:

Alfred Lys Baldry (1858-1939), British artist and art critic who authored several articles on de László and who was a close family friend; for biographical notes, see [3562].

SMDL

17/05/2018