James Bolivar Manson (26 June 1879, London - 3 July 1945, London)[1] was an artist and worked at the Tate Gallery* for 25 years, being its Director 1930-1938. In the Tate's own evaluation he was the "least successful" of their Directors. His time there was frustrated by his stymied ambition as a painter, and he declined into alcoholism, culminating in a drunken outburst at an official dinner in Paris. Although his art policies were more advanced than previously at the Tate and embraced Impressionism*, he stopped short of accepting newer artistic movements like Surrealism* and German Expressionism*, thus earning the scorn of critics such as Douglas Cooper. He retired on the grounds of ill health and resumed his career as a ...