A great supporter of Lankan art
The year 1943 was a seminal one for Sri Lankan art as well as for George Keyt. When Lionel Wendt presented the 43 Group’s first exhibition in Colombo in November 1943, Martin Russell not only met George Keyt at the exhibition’s opening but was captivated by his work – a genius who had evolved his own stylistic vision – unlike anything Russell had previously encountered. Russell bought several of Keyt’s works and he continued to collect Sri Lankan paintings throughout his lifetime.
From April 1995, in Martin Russell’s notes for Manel Fonseka about Lionel Wendt, referenced in Yashodhara Dalmia’s book, he writes:
At that time I did not quite understand Keyt’s work, because it was so non-European, but another member of the ’43 Group, George Claessen, now living in London, pointed out to me that Keyt’s work had a ‘poetic’ quality. The word ‘poetic’ used by Claessen has been embedded in my memory ever since. I bought all the Keyts in the show, except one, The Journey, which I was told Lionel Wendt himself wanted to buy.
In 1946, Russell returned briefly to England to begin writing his book The Art of George Keyt. This brilliantly illustrated monograph, which consisted largely of paintings from his own collection, was eventually published by Marg in Bombay in 1950. The book remains to this day the most comprehensive account of Keyt’s work.
Martin Russell would go on to acquire the finest and unsurpassed collection of George Keyt’s work which accompanied him back to England for exhibitions and publicity and remained with him for several years. Russell continued to promote Sri Lankan art in London and was involved in setting up many exhibitions at galleries in London, Oxford, Cambridge and Paris. He was helpful to George Claessen and Ivan Peries of the ‘43 Group when they were working in London, offering patronage to the group and encouraging the exhibition of their work.
Keyt first met Russell as a 42-year-old fully-fledged painter living in a village near Kandy, and would look upon Russell as his closest friend for over 40 years. Russell continued to be a great friend, patron and frequent visitor to Keyt and Menike’s home at Sirimalwatta, meeting often in the years between 1943 and 1953. Their closeness can be gauged from the fact that Keyt wrote to him frequently from Sri Lanka and turned to him during difficult times, particularly in his later years.