DISCOVERY OF SCOTTISH
POST IMPRESSIONIST NABI ARTIST
“THE UNFINISHED MONK”
THE LIFE & WORK OF RECLUSIVE ARTIST
JAMES PITCAIRN-KNOWLES 1863-1954
Richard Pitcairn-Knowles & Jeremy Howard
On going research by Dr Jeremy Howard, history of art
lecturer at St Andrews University, over the last ten years
has resulted in the publication of this volume to be
launched on 13th June. Towards the end of the nineteenth
century, this till now little known Scottish member of the
Nabis, James Pitcairn-Knowles, lived in Paris with the
Hungarian artist József Rippl-Rónai and his muse,
Lazarine. Gauguin and Toulouse-Lautrec were among their
friends. He planned to become a monk but met an
illegitimate daughter of Napoleon III, who was running
away from an unhappy marriage and about to enter a
convent. At once both gave up their religious intentions
and not only set up house together but built a castle,
Freudenberg, near Wiesbaden, where they lived for the first
decade of the twentieth century. Later they parted and,
depressed, he entered a sanatorium during WW1. In 1919
he married Princess Luise Solms-Braunfels and lived with
her for the rest of his life as a Scot in Germany in another
castle, Schloss Hungen, at times during WW2 confined to his limited quarters in the castle, and
required to report to the local police station weekly or even daily. The rest of the castle was
taken over by the government and used to catalogue looted art works! The 150th anniversary of
his birth is 28th September 2013. James Pitcairn-Knowles’ art and his life, both influenced by
periods of illness, depression and war, are described here through his correspondence, his
paintings, biographical articles and photographs.
TITLE:
BINDING:
PUB DATE:
ISBN:
PAGES:
THE UNFINISHED MONK
PAPERBACK
13TH JUNE 2013
978-0-9558591-3-7
268
AUTHORS: RICARD PITCAIRN-KNOWLES
JEREMY HOWARD
PRICE:
£15.99
CLASS:
ART HISTORY
ILLUSTRS: 101
Previous titles by Jeremy Howard include “Eastern European Art 1650-1950” & “William Allen, Artist
Adventurer”, & by Richard Pitcairn-Knowles, “The Edwardian Eye of Andrew Pitcairn-Knowles” &
“Celebrating the Centenary of the Founding of Riposo Health Hydro in Hastings 1912-2012”.
PITCAIRN-KNOWLES PUBLISHING
SPRINGBANK HOUSE - 13 PEMBROKE ROAD - SEVENOAKS – KENT – TN13 1XR
Phone: 01959-523154 e-mail: rppk@btinternet.com