The Last Bohemians: The Two Roberts - Colquhoun and MacBryde

by Roger Bristow

The fruit of over twenty years' original research, "The Last Bohemians" is the first full-length biography of two charismatic, talented and ultimately tragic individuals. It dispels many of the negative myths which grew around the pair following their early deaths and re-establishes their reputations as highly significant figures of twentieth-century British art. A rags-to-riches and back-to-rags-again story, "The Last Bohemians" is the account of the lives and time together of the artists who were known in the 1940s as 'The Golden Boys of Bond Street'. To research this book, the author travelled widely in both England and Scotland, interviewing many of their friends and admirers - well-known names in the art and literary worlds including George Barker, Prunella Clough, John Craxton, Daniel Farson, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Bryan Robertson, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, Patrick Heron and Ken Russell (many, alas, are now dead, making their memories all the more precious). He was also given exclusive access to their personal correspondence. Born and brought up in Ayrshire to poor, working-class families, Robert Colquhoun and Robert MacBryde met at the Glasgow School of Art in the 1930s. They moved to London in 1941 and quickly became associated with the Neo-Romantic group of painters which included Keith Vaughan and John Minton. At a time when homosexuality was not only illegal but actively persecuted, they made little attempt to disguise their relationship and they had a constant stream of admirers, both male and female. The circle of friends that grew around them included the painters Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, Michael Ayrton, John Minton and the poets George Barker and Dylan Thomas, all attending the regular weekend soirees held by The Roberts at their fashionable Kensington studio.

456 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2010

Reviews

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before my review proper, a bit of a humble brag on how I came upon my copy of this book. Having read and very much enjoyed Damian Barr's recent historical novel, The Two Roberts, a fictionalized retelling of the life of these two Scottish painters, I became enthralled by the subject and wanted to learn more.

I discovered this volume, first published in 2010, but long out of print and sadly could not find it ANYWHERE on the secondary market. I contacted two OOP book searches - one came up with a copy in Australia they could sell me - for $497! Another located one in the UK - for $275! Both out of my price range.

So I got the clever idea of contacting the original publisher, Sansom & Co., still in business in London, to inquire if they had any copies, or were thinking of reprinting it, due to the interest spurred by Barr's novel. They kindly informed me they had no copies or plans to reprint but told me to inquire at Martin Campbell's art bookstore near the Tate Gallery - he used to have some copies and might still have one for sale. Contacting them, they said they had no copies in the store but would check the storeroom and get back to me. They did so a few days later, saying they had located ONE mint condition hardcover copy and would sell and ship it to me in the US for 75 pounds - roughly $91!! SCORE! SOLD! Perseverance pays off! :-)

OK, now to the book itself. It's a gorgeous large book, printed on heavy paper with 24 pages of full color pictures of many of the artists' works (there are B & W ones and photos also sprinkled throughout the text). It covers MUCH more territory than Barr's book and in much greater detail - sometimes to the detriment of THIS reader. I was primarily interested in their lives, especially the negotiation of their gay relationship back when such was illegal. Bristow is primarily an art critic/historian (and straight, so the gay angle is negligible), and a large portion of his narrative is given over to the artists' techniques and developments - which I dutifully read, but which were not ALL that interesting personally.

However, the story still holds up and many of the anecdotes are priceless - Bristow spent 20 years researching and it definitely shows in his careful text. I really felt immersed in the Bohemian Soho of the 40's and '50's, and though the ending of their story is incredibly sad, they really LIVED their lives with gusto - and I am the better for spending time in their company.