On our way back to London we’ll stop at another little-known but fascinating location: St Matthew’s Church on the outskirts of Northampton, which, thanks to the intervention of Dean Walter Hussey in the 1940s, is home to two impressive artworks: Henry Moore’s serene Mother and Child, and Graham Sutherland’s tortured Crucifixion, which was, by the artist’s own admission, partly inspired by the harrowing photographs of Holocaust victims released at the end of World War II. Hussey, who believed passionately that the religious beliefs of an artist were less important than their artistic convictions, also commissioned work by composer Leonard Bernstein and later, as Dean of Chichester Cathedral, would work with Bernstein again and employ Marc Chagall to create a stained glass window there.
Get a more in-depth experience of the artists mentioned here, plus more, when we venture out on our Modern Art in the Midlands tour this July. And explore the life of Epstein further in my online lunchtime talk about the sculptor on 8 July.
By Monica Bohm-Duchen
Header image: Torso in Metal from the Rock Drill by Jacob Epstein
Modern Art in the Midlands: Jewish Connections in Unexpected Places takes place Tuesday 9 – Wednesday 10 July. £340 early bird (until 10 May; +£35 single supplement); then £365 (+£35 single supplement). Prices include all coach transport, entry and tours of the museums, four-star accommodation, and dinner (9 July only; lunches not included).
Let there be Sculpture: The Life and Work of Jacob Epstein runs Monday 8 July. 1pm. Free, but donations appreciated. The recording of this talk will be sent to those attending the tour by the end of the same day.
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