Gluck by Diana Souhami (most interesting books to read .TXT) 📗

to number 26, the portrait of Margaret Watts. ‘The Seventh Veil’ was of a bosom, no visible head nor arms, with the corner of the last veil turned up, as if about to be tweaked away. Of the fate of this painting there is no record.

On the day of the Royal visit the Meteor delivered by hand to Buckingham Palace letters of fulsome thanks and pleasure to The Queen and the offer of any of her daughter’s pictures that Her Majesty might deign to accept. Sir Harry replied

Buckingham Palace

10th November 1932

Dear Mrs Gluckstein

… it is indeed nice to know that you were pleased with The Queen’s visit to the Fine Art Gallery yesterday.

I now write to tell you that I have had the honour of speaking to The Queen about your loyal and kind wish to offer Her Majesty one of your daughter’s pictures. The Queen wishes me to say that she is much touched by your proposal, and if you think the picture will not be too much missed from the collection, Her Majesty will be delighted to have the small picture of the tulips.

I feel sure I need not ask you not to mention this matter outside, because The Queen is inundated with such requests from people with whom she is barely acquainted …

Yours very sincerely

Harry Verney

But ‘Tulips’ was already sold, and Gluck became exasperated with her mother’s machinations to reacquire it in order to get Royal notice and win Royal favour either for her daughter or herself:

Bolton House

Hampstead

NW3

November 14th 1932

Mother darling

You have been an angel and I shall always remember your faith and generosity, but my part of the ‘show’ was played when I had painted the pictures, designed the frame and arranged the presentation.

I cannot and will not have anything to do with the ‘sales’ which is the department of my agents The Fine Art Society and I cannot without killing myself, my brain and my soul enter into the bartering for ‘money’ or ‘honour’ of my work.

I am only writing this because I feel that you, who understand so much, do not understand my feelings in this respect. If you once realised what I feel I know you would not ‘put me through the hoop’.

The pictures are on public exhibition. As far as the Fine Art Society are concerned the ‘Tulips’ is sold to Sir Edward Stern – any transaction which takes place in regard to the picture is entirely outside my control and the transaction must be done through Mr Dawbarn – I am not and will not be involved in any way.

I am not giving my pictures away to anyone and will not do so, and when it comes to accounts with the Fine Arts I shall expect two thirds of the price of every picture sold. This is not a question of finance, but of principle and pride.

I could not say all this to you for fear of hurting you, but when you think it over I know that you will think that I am right.

My pictures will find their proper place in due course – there is no need to force the pace’.

Mother darling, you have understood so much and shown your faith-understand now – it means a lot to me –

With all my love

Your Hig

‘Tulips’ was acquired from Sir Edward Stern and given to Queen Mary by negotiations of which there is no record.

The critics received Gluck’s exhibition with the usual paeans of praise and the usual comments on her appearance, which inspired a spoof from Constance Spry:

Excerpt from the Feathered World society news, November 5th 1932

I have just returned from a delightful little chat with the petite and amusing Miss Gluck. I asked her why she had abandoned her patronymic for the delightful pseudonym to which she replied with a charming moue ‘because I prefer it to cluck or duck’. So you see she is a wit! Miss Gluck was dressed in navy blue and wore shoes and stockings; she had had her hair cut at Truefitt’s, she told me with a gay smile. I asked her to have a cigarette and she said ‘I don’t mind if I do’! She is evidently no tyro in the matter of interviews for I asked her to tell me the name of her dentifrice, having observed her beautiful teeth and she archly handed me a sample tube saying ‘won’t you give this a trial?’ We had a frank, not to say abandoned chat about the weather and I then asked her what was her favourite holiday resort, she dismissed my question with a gay little laugh and a sidelong glance which spoke volumes. I said that my paper would be interested in any personal remarks she might like to make – about herself of course – and as this limitation seemed to deter her I helped her by asking if her sister liked cheese. She answered, whimsically, that she had no sister, so I said ‘if you had a sister do you think she would like cheese?’. To which she archly replied ‘I don’t know.’

Of course you will have guessed that Miss Gluck is an artist. She has painted ever such a lot of pictures big and little and they’re in ever such nice frames all in white. ‘White for purity, you know’ said Miss Gluck with a deep note of reverence in her voice, so I asked her if she was a church woman and whether she sang in the choir. She replied in the fine old biblical fashion by asking another question: ‘Have you come to see the pictures?’ – so quaint of her I thought. And that reminds me, there is one picture which everyone is rushing to see, it is called ‘Hors de Combat’ because she painted it lying down. Of course I was immediately interested in the artistic aspect of Miss Gluck and asked her to tell me more about her pictures. With an odd little gesture she referred me to her