Gina Lollobrigida with her bust by Sir Jacob Epstein

This portraitback to top

The success of Epstein's portraits in the 1920s and 1930s helped to bring him a large number of high-profile commissions in the 1940s and 1950s. Kar's photograph of the film-star and actress Gina Lollobrigida captures the air of glamour that such celebrities brought to Epstein's studio. Lollobrigida sat to Epstein in 1952, a year of great success for the sculptor, which culminated in his retrospective exhibition at the Tate Gallery.

Events of 1952back to top

Current affairs

King George VI is found dead in his bed in Sandringham; he had been suffering from lung cancer. His daughter Elizabeth, who was in Kenya at the time, became Queen, the only monarch not to know the precise moment of her accession as her father was alone when he died. Elizabeth was crowned the following year.

Art and science

Samuel Beckett's play, Waiting for Godot is performed for the first time in Paris. The play belongs to the Theatre of the Absurd style, which influenced playwrights such as Harold Pinter and Tom Stoppard.
Agatha Christie's play The Mousetrap opens in London. It is still going.

International

Mau Mau rebels in Kenya rise up against the British colonial administration. The rebellion was sparked by the growing poverty of the native farmers under the rule of white settlers and called for Kenyan independence. The violence of the rebels, who often murdered settlers and loyalists, was met by the indiscriminate suppression by the British Military, who executed hundreds of suspects.

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