Mary Major's final interview

Wigan Today

Theodore Major's daughter Dr Mary Major speaks about plans for an exhibition of his art at Haigh Hall and working with artists Al and Al in the final interview before her death, captured by documentary filmmakers Toby Clarkson and Alex Kiehl.

Transcript

00:00We had El Major, one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, that painted for his

00:16entire life the place where he was born.

00:21A man needn't move from his village. All the beauty, and all the life, and all the power

00:31is in his own village.

00:34If something could happen at Hare Hall, for my father, he would actually be really happy

00:45with that. He thought this should be on view to the public, and he must have had trust

00:51that somehow, when he died, they would be looked after. He just used to say things like,

00:59it will happen, it will happen. And it was only me, because I'm an only child. I've got

01:07to protect these.

01:10Gosh, I was so nervous of meeting them. They're always dressed in black, and they're both

01:20named Al, and they like to be thought of as one artist. Well, I just thought, I just went,

01:27what on earth am I going to say to somebody like that? But I soon found they were lovely,

01:34and that they really loved my father's works.

01:43Oh, it was fantastic. I thought, wow, that would be sort of a rough justice, that his

01:49work would then be in there, because of him being kept out of Hare Hall. I think he felt

01:55totally excluded from Hare Hall and the lovely grounds around. Oh, it was a sort of bubbling

02:04up inside, you know, when you feel a little bit queasy, that you think, this must happen,

02:09this must happen. But we didn't know till recently, you see.

02:17They were hammering on the door, and ringing the bell as well, you know. And I thought,

02:21what on earth? And they said, we've got it, Mary, we've got it. I was just like, f***.

02:29I was actually really moved. Yeah, we were crying.

02:35Yeah. It's one of those days of your life, isn't it? Yeah. Beautiful. And I was so glad,

02:44you know, in a way, I'd been with them when we had the message. And I felt part of it

02:50as well, you know. So, yeah. Got the answer, you know. Oh, dear. It opened up the future,

02:59didn't it? Completely opened up a different future. Twenty-something years since my father

03:06died, and I'd written a few books on him and things and tried to just tell people how wonderful

03:13the pictures were. And that work had all come to fruition. And I could depend on other people,

03:21I think, to carry it forward too, because I'm not young anymore. It will go on now,

03:27you know. But then you realise the work really starts now. Different work. And of course,

03:33the two owls are working 24 hours a day. I don't know they're doing it.

03:41This is one of his industrial scenes here. Amazing, incredible body of work. Worth about

03:46£200 million. And that's going to be on loan to the hall. So, we'll be able to share that

03:52with the public again. One of my friends actually said, those two owls are like two

03:59angels who've come to help you. They've been sent to help you. You've struggled for a long

04:04time now, and your father struggled. And he said, two angels have now been sent, you know.

04:10They're sitting right there, I think you've met them. And look at them, yeah. I don't

04:14know. That was absolutely amazing. It's true, isn't it? It is true. Absolutely true.

04:44.

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