Page 10 - 2019 September 11th Christie's New York Chiense Art Himalayan bronzes and art

REMEMBERING THE

IRREPRESSIBLE SHERWOODS

BY DR. PRATAPADITYA PAL

In his New York Times obituary of 9 April 1993, Richard Sherwood where the Heeramaneck exhibition traveled during its tour; so in
was introduced as “Lawyer and Museum Chief.” Sherwood may 1969, Kenneth Donahue, then the museum director, along with
not be a familiar name in the wider world of collectors of art from George Kuwayama, the curator of Asian Art, and trustee Richard
the Indian subcontinent today, but when I came to work at the Los Sherwood decided to enhance LACMA’s permanent collection
Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in 1970, it was a name in one fell swoop by dramatically acquiring the Heeramaneck
to drop in the social, cultural and, even, the political circles of collection. At the time, Time magazine considered it to be one of
Southern California. Richard E. Sherwood (1929-1993), popular as the major scoops of the century by any American museum.
Dick, was an eminent lawyer by profession but a dynamic cultural
and civic leader. He had been a trustee for several years already at It was at that dinner in Beverly Hills I learned why the Sherwoods
LACMA before rising to be the board’s President and Chairman in were so interested in Indian art. Dick and Dee started dating when
the 1980s. they were teenagers in Los Angeles , and their relationship became
more serious in college and law school. When Dick proposed
I first met Dick and his wife Dee (née Dorothy) in the late summer marriage, Dee agreed on the condition that Dick would take her
of 1969. LACMA at the time was considering the purchase of the to India for their honeymoon. This was apparently Dee’s dream
Heeramaneck Collection of art from the Indian subcontinent and from her childhood, and so the recent law school graduate had no
the neighboring countries of Nepal and Tibet. I was one of two alternative but to agree.
scholars invited to vet the collection for the Board, the other being
the well-known British scholar William (Bill) Archer (1907–1979). Soon after their wedding, the couple few to England and even
Invited to their Beverly Hills home, I met Dee and their two children. more romantically decided to take a slow boat to India. I still
Dee was also actively involved with the museum and served on remember the name of the vessel: S.S. Chusan. It was on that
various museum councils; she was further closely associated with journey they met Bill and Mildred Archer (whom I knew well and
the Music Center, in the coterie of the founder, the formidable who were both eminent authorities on Indian art). Bill and Mildred
Dorothy Chandler, and other cultural organizations. were among the last British civil servants to have served in India in
the 1930s and 1940s, and witnessed the end of the Raj in 1947.
More extraordinary to me was how invested both Sherwoods
were in India and its art, which was unusual as India was yet That chance shipboard encounter blossomed into a friendship
to attract the attention it deserved in the American art world. between the elderly Archers and the young honeymooners, which
I had started my curatorial career in 1967 at the Museum of is one reason why Bill was invited by the museum to comment on
Fine Arts, Boston which, was even then, world-famous for its the Heeramaneck collection in 1969. Since Bill’s primary interest
Indian collection assembled by their legendary curator, Dr. and specialization was in Indian paintings, not only did he vet the
Ananda K. Coomaraswamy (1877–1947). This had been recently large group in the Heeramaneck collection, but later advised the
augmented in 1964-65, by the curator Robert Treat Paine Jr. Sherwoods with their personal acquisitions of Indian paintings.
when he acquired the Heeramaneck collection which was the A few were acquired at my suggestion after I joined LACMA
first major traveling collection of Indian art ever in America [1]. as curator of the Indian and Islamic collection in January 1970.
However, destiny intervened, Paine suddenly died from cancer, They were bought specifically as donations to fill gaps in the
and his successor Jan Fontein had other priorities and decided to Heeramaneck collection, but others (some now ofered in this sale)
terminate the contract with the Heeramanecks soon after I joined refect their personal interest. Their donations may be viewed on
in 1967. LACMA was one of several venues in North America the LACMA website.

10