ORPEN STORIES

Evening Star, Issue 21628, 25 January 1934, Page 15

ORPEN STORIES

" A WONDERFUL LITTLE DEVIL ”

The sale of Orpen’s caricatures of himself, with his own characteristic comments on them, recalled a remark once made to me by the late Sir David Murray (writes “ Peterboroughin the * Daily Telegraph ’). “ Orpen was a wonderful little devil,” ho said, “an imp of mischief.” Sir David also related two stories of his friend that I have never seen published. One was about a meeting with an AmeHcan millionaire whom Orpen described as “ a big, rather ugly, self-made man.” “ And now, Sir Orpen,” he explained in introducing himself, “ I want you to paint my portrait, and I’ll tell you why. This morning, at my hotel, I asked at breakfast for a dozen eggs. ‘ A dozen?’ said the waiter. ‘ Yes,’ I answered, ‘ because then I may be able to find a really good one among them.’ “ That is exactly the plan X adopt in regard to pictures of myself. I have had several done by well-known artists, in addition to a bust by Epstein. Now, Sir Orpen, I want you to paint me. I reckon that out of the dozen I should be able to pick one 1 really like.” The other story was about a very successful English manufacturer who had spent a lot of money on accumulating pictures. Orpen, when asked to look at them, saw at once they were not masterpieces. At last the owner said, “ You do not think very much of them. You think that my money lias been wasted?” ‘‘Oh, no,” replied Orpen, quickly, “not wasted; you have simply spent heavily on your art education. And all education is worth paying for.” “ Well, what should 1 do now?” “ Give them away one at a time as wedding presents. The recipients will be quite proud of them until they discover their value. And that will be their education.”