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Hello, my name is Janet. I live in England. I like it here. I also like bananas.

Theodore Garman

Theodore Garman (1924–1954) was the son of Kathleen Garman (1901–1979) and the sculptor and painter Jacob Epstein (1880–1959). Kathleen was Epstein's mistress and later, after his first wife had died, his wife.

Epstein lived apart from Kathleen, Theodore and his two younger sisters, but provided for them, although he never publicly acknowledged Theo as his son.

He was a gifted child and won school prizes for literature and history. A conscientious objector during the Second World War, he worked on a farm at South Harting, Hampshire near his grandmother's house. A friend from childhood, Kathleen Walne said, "He was an eccentric, but a lovely one. He was a favourite in our household".

He developed as a talented painter although suffering from mental instability, which was diagnosed as schizophrenia. In 1950 he had an exhibition at the Redfern Gallery in London and in a foreword to the catalogue the artist and critic, Matthew Smith, wrote, "About the painting of Theodore Garman I can only say I look at them with wonder, admiration and even astonishment".

In 1952 Theodore had a second exhibition at the Redfern Gallery.

In 1954 after an incident at the Chelsea School of Art in which he was accused of stealing a figurine to use in a still life, his mother tried to protect him by having him admitted to hospital. A struggle occurred in the ambulance and he suffered a heart attack and died just before his thirtieth birthday.

The Paintings
One of the most popular paintings at The New Art Gallery Walsall, is Summer Garden, South Harting, 1944, oil on canvas,66x76 cm. by Theodore Garman. This shows the back garden of his grandmother's house. Visitors voted it their favourite painting in the collection. It is one of a collection of paintings by Theodore Garman in the Garman Ryan Collection which his mother, who grew up in nearby Wednesbury, donated to Walsall. Other paintings in the collection include an early work, Stubbers Green Pool, Shelfield , c.1939,pastel, which shows a scene from Walsall which he visited with his mother to see her former nanny. Picture window in June, 1951,oil on canvas 183x122 cm. and The Wooden Monk c. 1950s, oil on canvas, 127 x 102 cm. are big pictures which bring together striking juxtapositions of mediaeval works of art and natural growth of flowers and leaves. Portraits of people from his life appear in the collection such as  Roland Joffe c.1950, pastel, 62 x 47 cm.