To this day the thought of Sickert as the Ripper makes a number of people extremely uncomfortable including his heirs, collectors, dealers and those who’ve made a name for themselves teaching about and studying him. It’s as if to suggest such a thing is impolite, and maybe I’m exactly that, because in my world, manners and murder don’t belong in the same conversation. The irony is that Sickert himself talked more openly about the Ripper than those who continue to protect him. He bragged, confabulated, spun wild tales and theories that clearly were inspired by whatever fed his sexually violent
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