Carving a legacy : the identity of Jacob Epstein (1880-1959)

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the efforts which were made during the life of Jacob Epstein and at the time his death to fix a particular identity that has thus shaped his legacy. The question that this thesis wishes to address is: how was Jacob Epstein's legacy carved?

The first part of this thesis, entitled 'Remembering Epstein', seeks to unpack and examine the written discourse surrounding his death. This will be done by assessing the themes, debates and considerations of Epstein's position in the history of art and will focus on four case studies: the obituaries and memorial pieces that were written immediately after Epstein's death; a memorial service that was held at St. Paul's Cathedral; a failed proposal
to tum Epstein's home studio into a museum; and the organisation and critical reception of the Epstein Memorial Exhibition held in Edinburgh in 1961. The second part of this thesis, entitled 'Writing a Legacy', attends to the analysis of texts which were written about or by Epstein throughout his career. This will be done through a close examination of those texts which have come to shape our understanding of Epstein's place in the history of art and will focus on five case studies: the writings of T. E. Hulme; Epstein by Bernard Van Dieren; a series of interviews with Epstein by Arnold Haskell, entitled The Sculptor Speaks; Epstein's role in protesting against repairs to ancient sculpture in the British Museum; and a chapter entitled 'My Place in Sculpture' from the 1954 edition of Epstein's autobiography. The final part of the thesis, entitled 'Selected Works', will focus on six separate sculptures as case studies for assessing different aspects of Epstein's artistic output. The works which
will be examined: The Rock Drill (1913), The Risen Christ (1917-19), Madonna and Child (1926-27), Genesis (1929), Albert Einstein (1933), and Madonna and Child (1950-52).