SCANDAL IN VENEZIA... PART THREE

photography courtesy of Karen L. Marshall

photography courtesy of Karen L. Marshall

photography courtesy of Karen L. Marshall

Count Volpi di Misurata, Exhibition President of the Venice Biennale ruled that the Whitney could not remove any paintings from the American Pavilion. The painting of Marion Davies remained. There was nothing Miss Lambert or the Whitney could legally do before the Biennale ended.

In the middle of the scandal, Eleanor Lambert and Seymour Berkson fell madly in love, even though both were married to other people at the time. Two years later in 1936, they were married.

In November 1966, a rare combination of abnormally high tides, rain-swollen rivers and a fierce Sirocco wind filled the Venice Lagoon and sent floodwaters thundering through the canals to nearly 6 1/2 feet high. It was the worst flood in the city's history. Thousands of residents were trapped in their homes for days and $6 billion worth of art was destroyed.

Save Venice was founded in 1967 by the late John and Betty McAndrew and Sydney J. Freedberg in response to the terrible damage caused by the flood of November 1966. In 1967 more than 30 international committees were formed under the umbrella of UNESCO to restore and protect Venice's threatened masterpieces. The American committee, Save Venice, has always numbered among the most important. Eleanor Lambert was a big supporter of Save Venice and did publicity for the organization and a city that held a very special place in her heart.

A very special thank you to Karen L. Marshall, from the non-profit organization Save Venice for allowing the EMPRESS OF FASHION blog use of her photography. As you can see, her work is truly amazing. Miss Lambert thought so too and was a avid collector of Karen L. Marshall's photography during her life.

SCANDAL IN VENEZIA... PART TWO

photography courtesy of Karen L. Marshall

THE SCANDAL REACHES THE AMERICAN MEDIA

July 02, 1934 Time Magazine

Nobody in Venice last week seemed to know how the trouble started but there it was—a glittering portrait of Cinemactress Marion Davies by Tade Styka, hanging, slambang, in the vestibule of the American Pavilion at the 10th Biennial Art Exhibition. Mrs. Juliana R. Force, the Whitney Museum's energetic director, thought it was so strange that she threatened to withdraw, crate and ship back to the US the entire Whitney exhibit (101 pictures) unless the unauthorized Davies portrait was removed.

photography courtesy of Karen L. Marshall

In Venice nobody knew what to do or say. Count Volpi di Misurata, Exhibition President, was in Brussels and said nothing. Exhibition officials, nervous as tomcats, awaited the return of Count Volpi to settle what threatened to become an international incident. Professor Maraini (Exhibition Secretary) did not help things along much when he remarked of the Davies portrait: "It's no worse than some of the other American exhibits..."

photography courtesy of Karen L. Marshall

US newshawks in Rome put odds & ends together and came to this conclusion: William Randolph Hearst, anxious to have Miss Davies' portrait exhibited, offered to pay the shipping costs of the entire Whitney collection if the picture were included. Mrs. Force declined his offer. Thereupon Mr. Hearst sent the picture alone to Italy where a Hearstling approached US Ambassador Breckinridge Long to see what could be done about having it exhibited in Venice. When Ambassador Long decided not to use his good offices in Mr. Hearst's behalf, the Hearst man went directly to Count Volpi, finally got permission to hang the portrait in the pavilion vestibule where it would presumably not interfere with the authorized US exhibit.

photography courtesy of Karen L. Marshall

In the meantime last week Mr. Hearst, son John, Miss Davies, William Collier Jr. and Dorothy Mackaiil arrived in London after a leisurely trip through Spain. Correspondents flocked about Miss Davies, quizzed her about her portrait. Said she: "I cannot understand what it all means. So far as I know the people running the show asked that my portrait be sent."

photography courtesy of Karen L. Marshall

Read the full article: Time Magazine Article

A very special thank you to Karen L. Marshall, from the non-profit organization Save Venice for allowing the EMPRESS OF FASHION blog use of her photography. As you can see, her work is truly amazing. Miss Lambert thought so too and was a avid collector of Karen L. Marshall's photography during her life.

SCANDAL IN VENEZIA

photography courtesy of Karen L. Marshall

photography courtesy of Karen L. Marshall

photography courtesy of Karen L. Marshall

photography courtesy of Karen L. Marshall

photography courtesy of Karen L. Marshall

The first line of Miss Lambert's bio says a lot:

Eleanor Lambert was one of the outstanding publicists in America in fashion, interior design, and other areas of the arts, philanthropy and contemporary taste.

Even though this blog is called EMPRESS of FASHION, Miss Lambert's reach extended far beyond fashion. In fact, she began her career representing artists and opera stars who at that time were the biggest celebrities of their day. In 1930, Eleanor Lambert was involved in the opening and founding of the Whitney Museum of Art. As Press Director, one of her suggestions was for the Whitney to sponsor the American Pavilion at the Venice Biennale to take place in 1934. The cost of shipping 101 works of art to Venice was generously underwritten by the Hearst Corporation.

But things in Europe did not go exactly as planned, in May 1934, Miss Lambert was in Venice trying to have Polish painter Tade Styka's portrait of Marion Davies, William Randolf Hearst’s mistress, removed from the Venice Biennale’s American Pavilion sponsored by the Whitney. Seymour Berkson, the general manager of Hearst’s International News Syndicate, was in charge of Hearst operations in Europe and was under orders to make sure that the picture stayed. Miss Lambert and the Whitney demanded that the picture be removed. Miss Lambert liked things her way -- she could be very tough and extremely persistent, but Seymour Berkson also liked things his way and he could be just as tough and and just as persistent...

to be continued...

A very special thank you to Karen L. Marshall, from the non-profit organization Save Venice for allowing the EMPRESS OF FASHION blog use of her photography. As you can see, her work is truly amazing. Miss Lambert thought so too and was a avid collector of Karen L. Marshall's photography during her life.