Dorothy Morland: Making ICA History (Value: Art: Politics): 16

I agree wholeheartedly with the previous reviewer’s appreciation of the photos in this book. I hope she’ll also get round to reading the text. It’s worth the effort.In her introduction, Anne Massey mentions the 2014 publication by the ICA of 'ICA 1948-1968' based on the Institute’s archives. Considered of little value and discarded fifty years ago, they were salvaged by Dorothy Morland who planned to write a history of the institution. For a number of reasons explained in the book she was unable to complete this project and Massey has pulled off a considerable feat in combining a biography of Dorothy with an account of the ICA during her period there.The book reads like a Who’s Who of creative artists from the last century, a number of whom formed lasting friendships with Dorothy. Despite her lack of formal qualifications in the visual arts, she instinctively recognised and was able to promote talent in up-and-coming artists, often doing so at her own expense and with little or no thanks for her efforts. She must have had a sense of mission, of humour, and tremendous staying power to rise above this and the obstacles thrown in her path by – mostly – male colleagues. She also appears to have had a firm sense of her own identity and didn’t hesitate to speak her mind, albeit with tact and/or humour, as is made clear in a letter to Henry Moore dating from the early seventies.Multiple anecdotes from friends and family memoirs enliven the narrative, but it would spoil a prospective reader’s enjoyment to mention these, many of which are amusing (the Jean/Yves Tinguely episode) or very touching (Sonia Orwell’s reliance on Dorothy after the death of her husband).I am amazed that not a single review of this important book has appeared since it was published in March. It seems to be an ironic replay of history. In her introduction, Anne Massey states that ‘Dorothy remains invisible in the history of Art’. Quoting Elizabeth Darling, she writes ‘even today we need to keep bothering away at remembering those who have disappeared from history.’

This only arrived yesterday and so far I have looked at all the pictures. Look forward to reading it. Many thanks