James Cahill dies at 87; scholar of Chinese art

13.Leaving Freer, Move To Berkeley

13. Leaving Freer, Move to Berkeley. Howard asked me whether my leaving the Freer was because John Pope, as Director, wasn't interested in Chinese paintings and didn't support my acquisition of them. I replied:

No, not John Pope--he and I got along fine. It's true that he wasn't enthusiastic about buying more Chinese paintings, but I could have lived with that through the rest of his directorship. It was Harold Philip Stern, the Japanese specialist. He was intensely competitive, from the time I arrived as a fellowship student in 1950--he was there first; and later, I could never talk with Wenley or Pope without HPS turning up (sidling up quietly) and listening in. Before I left John Pope actually told me he would support me for the directorship, but I've always avoided administrative posts, and didn't want this one. Either I would have been director with a very unhappy HPS under me, or he would be director and make things very difficult for me. I could foresee another Tomita/Paine or Priest/Lippe situation in the future, and thought it best to get out.

Other answer: I went back to the Bay Area to look at the Stanford job, having heard what Michael was asking without resistance in the way of pay and time off etc. But one day at Stanford persuaded me that it wasn't for me. On the other hand, Ed Schafer picked me up at the airport and drove me into town, and I heard that the job there was opening up (d'Argence forced out.) And I was invited for a lecture--try-out--and (I've told the story often) walking up Telegraph Ave. toward campus, passed what was then the Cinema Gulld--Pauline Kael and Edward Dahlberg was it? her then-husband--it was on the west side of the street, maybe between Channing & Durant? (it moved later) and they were showing two Buster Keaton films I hadn't seen. I almost didn't go to my lecture. But I made up my mind then: this is the place for me. Nothing like that in D.C.

Other attractions of UCB needn't be listed. Boodberg, Schafer etc. Joe Levenson. Seacoast.

• < Prev
• Next >