31 October 2011 was the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Augustus John (1878-1961) the eminent Tenby born artist famous for both his landscapes and portraits, which include paintings of numerous famous figures.
To mark the occasion the Library has invited Tristan de Vere Cole to give an illustrated talk on John’s life and work. This will be an unique opportunity to hear an eyewitness account of the artist by one who knew him well.
Tristan is well known in his own right on account of his lengthy career as a television drama director, working on a wide range of programmes such as Doctor Who (where he encountered the Cybermen), Secret Army, Bergerac and Howard’s Way. Crucially for us, however, he also knew Augustus John and his wife Dorelia McNeill extremely well, having been in large part brought up by them at Fryern Court, their home near Fordingbridge, Hampshire. As a boy, Tristan sat as a model for John and spent a considerable amount of time in his company.
The Tristan de Vere Cole (Augustus John) Manuscripts
The National Library of Wales is now the home of the Tristan de Vere Cole (Augustus John) Manuscripts (NLW MSS 24007-10), which I recently had the enviable task of cataloguing. The manuscripts consist mainly of letters from Augustus and Dorelia to the young Tristan (NLW MSS 24008-9D) and from Augustus to Tristan’s mother, the society beauty Mavis de Vere Cole (later Mavis Wheeler) (NLW MS 24007E).
John’s letters are written in a typically colourful and robust style, his letters to Mavis occasionally becoming rather risqué. Certainly, if Tristan’s reminiscences of Augustus are anything like the man in the letters we can expect a lively evening!
‘Augustus John: A Personal Reminiscence’ with Tristan de Vere Cole is at the Drwm in the National Library of Wales on Thursday 24 November at 7.30pm. Admission is £10, free to Chapters members.
Rhys M. Jones