Goodwood magazine on British surrealist Edward James
Image credit: Goodwood magazine
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The extraordinary life of Edward James, polymath laird of West Dean House and artistic champion, is soon to be celebrated in a new library and archive.
In November of this year, a portrait by René Magritte set the Sotheby’s New York saleroom abuzz. Titled The Pleasure Principle and depicting a man with a suit, tie and head alight like a fiery sun, it sold for £20.6 million – £5m more than expected and a record amount for works by Magritte. The 1937 painting is a portrait of Edward James, the Belgian surrealist’s great patron and onetime laird of West Dean House, now part of the College of Arts and Conservation, just over five miles from the Goodwood Estate in the South Downs.
That Magritte painted James’s head as a ball of light speaks volumes about this eccentric polymath. Poet, socialite, surrealist, philanthropist and patron, James dabbled and dashed his way through one of the most remarkable lives of the 20th century, sparking ideas and inspiring art wherever he went. “In the last couple of years there’s been a real surge of interest in James,” says Alex Barron, chief executive of West Dean. “It seems the world has finally caught up with him.” As part of this recognition, the college recently unveiled a ten-year plan that includes a new library and archive space about James’s extraordinary life, due to open in 2021.
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