MEETING ONE OF THE TRUE EXPERTS
The large exhibition currently at the High Museum in Atlanta is about to end. SALVADOR DALI: THE LATE WORKS was guest curated by Elliott H. King, a Dali scholar who received his PhD at the University of Essex where he worked closely with Dawn Ades. He has focused on the art created by Dali after 1940--a period that has been critically dismissed by many as inferior to his earlier works. "Not so" says Dr. King and demonstrates in the exhibition that the Master created numerous very important works in the years from 1940 to 1980.
It is the creative period during which Dali painted "Santiago El Grande" (1957); "The Ecumenical Council" (1960); "Christ of St. John of the Cross" (1951); "Madonna of Port Lligat" (1950) and numerous other significant works, including portraits. King's curatorial triumph, however, was acquiring the loan of "Assumpta Corpusculaire Lapislazuline" (1952) from a Spanish collection. This exhibition clearly demonstrates that the years covered were filled with more than just the commercial commissions and public shenanigans. In other words, it is an important contribution to the study of Dali and an eye-opener for the critical dismissers.
On the way back from a pre-Christmas family visit, Melinda and I had the great pleasure of having lunch with Elliott King who generously showed up with a catalog of the exhibition as a gift. It is a beautiful publication and includes essays by other Dali scholars including Hank Hine, Director of The Salvador Dali Museum and William Jeffett, Chief Curator of Exhibitions at the Dali Museum.
What an intense hour and a half that was. Both Elliott and I jammed as much information and perspective-sharing into it as possible. I am quite sure it was the beginning of an enjoyable friendship characterized by mutual trust and the sharing of more information and perspectives. We first met in 2004 at the Dali centennial symposia at The Salvador Dali Museum, but did not have any time together.
I'm excited that we'll next meet in Atlanta for the final couple of days of the exhibition. Elliott is scheduled to participate in the 31 hour Dali Till Dawn event. He'll be giving three "insomniac tours" of the show at 1 a.m., 3 a.m., and 5 a.m.!!! Perhaps I can bring him coffee. Details and tickets are to be found at www.high.org.
On January 10th, both Elliott and I will fly to Tampa and drive to St.Petersburg for the January 11th Grand Opening of the new Salvador Dali Museum. You can check out the schedule of events at www.salvadordalimuseum.org. I am really looking forward to seeing the next stage in the phenomenal advances that have been made since my first visit with Ren and Eleanor Morse in 1987 at the time that I did my first (of three) appraisal of the collection.
There will be several postings in early January that will share with you my experiences at the High and Dali Museums. I believe this will be a great way to kick off a year in which I expect to regain whatever reputation and prestige the low life in the Dali market have tried to tarnish. As John Pope Hessey wrote, "Dedication to the truth can gain one many enemies."
For my supporters, well-wishers, clients and good guys, I send my very best for a rewarding 2011. Peace on Earth to men of good will.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
TIME MACHINE
TIME MACHINE
Last week end two of the periodic auctions of Western and Southwestern art took place in Santa Fe. Dealers and collectors came from distances short and long and the halls were filled. The bids and prices paid were closely watched by all because in the past couple of years they have been significantly lower than in 2007 and the years leading up to it. At that time, the direction of all sales was up, up and away.
On Saturday, The Santa Fe Art Auction was held at the Santa Fe Convention Center, a beautiful and versatile facility that opened just a couple of years ago. I was interested to note that most of the major dealers except Gerald Peters (whose company puts on the auction) were in attendance. They were not bidding. I think they were there to gauge how much trouble their market is in.
The answer is that it's not in as much trouble as it was a year ago. Most lots sold and they sold at right about the low estimate. The estimates printed in the catalog were clearly set low in the hope of inveigling bidders into the action.
On Sunday the Altermann Auction was held in the former community center that long served the folks who lived in the Spanish colonial neighborhood along the Acequia Madre--the Mother Ditch which carried water from the canyon to the farms and homes down the valley. Today it is an exclusive part of the city with lovely homes consisting of expanded historic adobes behind adobe walls. The orchards are mostly gone and there are only a few fields extant.
Tony Altermann has a long and distinguished history of mounting fine art auctions in Santa Fe and Scottsdale and they are always worth attending. Today son Richard Altermann is the auction impresario. Again, the offerings were a wide range of historic and contemporary Western and Southwestern art--mostly paintings (no works by Salvador Dali). The biding results were much like those at the Saturday auction. It is wise, I believe, for both dealers to schedule their sales for the same week end so the out of town buyers will find a trip to Santa Fe worthwhile.
So where does the time machine come in?
I have wanted to own a time machine since I was a small, scared boy at a British prep school. I have the mind of a historian and I was trained in graduate school as a historian. I remember dates, names and events and I always try to imagine what it was like in a particular location at a historic time or event. I would love to go back to Runnymede in 1215 when the Earls forced King John to sign the Magna Carta.
This time my thoughts were a bit different. It seemed a perfect time for me to have a time machine so I could bid on a lot of fine paintings, buy them at low prices and then return to the art market of 2006 and sell them all for a whopping profit.
Last week end two of the periodic auctions of Western and Southwestern art took place in Santa Fe. Dealers and collectors came from distances short and long and the halls were filled. The bids and prices paid were closely watched by all because in the past couple of years they have been significantly lower than in 2007 and the years leading up to it. At that time, the direction of all sales was up, up and away.
On Saturday, The Santa Fe Art Auction was held at the Santa Fe Convention Center, a beautiful and versatile facility that opened just a couple of years ago. I was interested to note that most of the major dealers except Gerald Peters (whose company puts on the auction) were in attendance. They were not bidding. I think they were there to gauge how much trouble their market is in.
The answer is that it's not in as much trouble as it was a year ago. Most lots sold and they sold at right about the low estimate. The estimates printed in the catalog were clearly set low in the hope of inveigling bidders into the action.
On Sunday the Altermann Auction was held in the former community center that long served the folks who lived in the Spanish colonial neighborhood along the Acequia Madre--the Mother Ditch which carried water from the canyon to the farms and homes down the valley. Today it is an exclusive part of the city with lovely homes consisting of expanded historic adobes behind adobe walls. The orchards are mostly gone and there are only a few fields extant.
Tony Altermann has a long and distinguished history of mounting fine art auctions in Santa Fe and Scottsdale and they are always worth attending. Today son Richard Altermann is the auction impresario. Again, the offerings were a wide range of historic and contemporary Western and Southwestern art--mostly paintings (no works by Salvador Dali). The biding results were much like those at the Saturday auction. It is wise, I believe, for both dealers to schedule their sales for the same week end so the out of town buyers will find a trip to Santa Fe worthwhile.
So where does the time machine come in?
I have wanted to own a time machine since I was a small, scared boy at a British prep school. I have the mind of a historian and I was trained in graduate school as a historian. I remember dates, names and events and I always try to imagine what it was like in a particular location at a historic time or event. I would love to go back to Runnymede in 1215 when the Earls forced King John to sign the Magna Carta.
This time my thoughts were a bit different. It seemed a perfect time for me to have a time machine so I could bid on a lot of fine paintings, buy them at low prices and then return to the art market of 2006 and sell them all for a whopping profit.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
A HALLOWEEN TALE
A HALLOWEEN TALE
It's more than a week since Halloween, but I'm still chuckling about an encounter I observed, so I thought I'd share it will youall.
On the day before Halloween, a saturday, I was pushing a cart around our very nice small grocery store about ten miles outside Santa Fe. There was a community Halloween party underway in the commercial center's plaza and there were lots of little kids in costume. The checkers had candy to give to any who came into the store.
Surprisingly, two of the small goblins made their way to the back of the store and approached the fish counter. They called out "trick or treat". The normally sanguine clerk who never exhibited any sense of humor looked startled and confused about how he was supposed to respond. He didn't have any candy to dispense.
Leaning over the counter he checked out their costumes and asked, "Uh, you kids want a flounder?"
The whole thing was so surreal, I knew Dali would have loved it.
ERIK'S FRUSTRATION
Recently my daughter and her family visited us from Longmont, Colorado. One evening we were sitting around the patio table after dinner and I was telling a story--as I often do.
Grandson Erik (4 1/2) ran up panting, "Granddad, Granddad....".
I said, "Just a minute, Erik, I'm telling a story.
Erik tried his Grandmother who replied, "Just a minute, Erik, I'm listening to Granddad."
Exasperated, he turned to his last resort and said, "Mom, can you put Granddad on pause?"
It's more than a week since Halloween, but I'm still chuckling about an encounter I observed, so I thought I'd share it will youall.
On the day before Halloween, a saturday, I was pushing a cart around our very nice small grocery store about ten miles outside Santa Fe. There was a community Halloween party underway in the commercial center's plaza and there were lots of little kids in costume. The checkers had candy to give to any who came into the store.
Surprisingly, two of the small goblins made their way to the back of the store and approached the fish counter. They called out "trick or treat". The normally sanguine clerk who never exhibited any sense of humor looked startled and confused about how he was supposed to respond. He didn't have any candy to dispense.
Leaning over the counter he checked out their costumes and asked, "Uh, you kids want a flounder?"
The whole thing was so surreal, I knew Dali would have loved it.
ERIK'S FRUSTRATION
Recently my daughter and her family visited us from Longmont, Colorado. One evening we were sitting around the patio table after dinner and I was telling a story--as I often do.
Grandson Erik (4 1/2) ran up panting, "Granddad, Granddad....".
I said, "Just a minute, Erik, I'm telling a story.
Erik tried his Grandmother who replied, "Just a minute, Erik, I'm listening to Granddad."
Exasperated, he turned to his last resort and said, "Mom, can you put Granddad on pause?"
Friday, September 17, 2010
VALUING SALVADOR DALI PRINTS
VALUING SALVADOR DALI PRINTS: Part One
This is the topic that brought me into the world of Salvador Dali in 1980 and has assured that all other professional appraisers have avoided it as much as possible ever since. It is a service that I perform almost daily, not only for print owners internationally, but for a great many of my appraiser colleagues who encounter prints attributed to Dali in the course of doing appraisals of collections. Since they have only one fully informed and dependable source of information, they call me and I introduce them to my service which has supplied credible information to appraisers for many years. The same service is available to anyone who needs it, and they don't have to send me the print. Just go to www.bernardewell.com
HOW DO I DO IT?
It is possible for me to give opinions of authenticity and value for Dali prints because I have been collecting information for thirty years and because I have so many contacts in the market. Perhaps even more important is that I know who knows what they are talking about and who doesn't and I know who those driven by self-interest are. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I have seen more Dali prints and originals than anyone else.
My opinions of authenticity are based on the information in my files accumulated during the examination and appraisal of over 55,000 prints attributed to the Spanish master. Mediums, edition numbers, sizes, appearance of signatures, blind chops, identity of paper and other clues help me place a subject print into the framework of all editions about which I have such details.
When I was serving as the court expert for a long list of Federal and state regulatory and law enforcement agencies I frequently had access to the files of dealers and distributors selling fakes and publishers both legitimate and illegitimate. This body of documentation is unsurpassed. It is also incomplete. As anyone who knows much about Dali prints will tell you, we learn more all the time and know that we shall never know everything we need to or wish to know.
While I would always prefer to personally examine a questioned print, my files let me make legitimate decisions about authenticity without doing so and I have never had one challenged, except in court where I have always prevailed.
My value research is based on a variety of sources and since the results are so varied, I have to extrapolate an on-going sense of what people are willing to pay for Dali prints. There is no single and reliable source of information that one can check for a quick value. While we have tracked both the prices and the values (don't confuse the two terms--more later) of Dali prints for thirty years, it is very difficult to make generalizations about pricing or value trends.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO VALUES?
Prices paid, collector interest, saleability, availability and the attitudes of people in the market often change in reaction to specific events, court cases, investigations, market gossip and even lies which are posted in profusion on the Internet. Thus, if it was possible to place Dali print values over the years on a graph, it would be very confusing. I will say that after the bottom fell out of the Dali print market in the late 1980s through the mid-1990s following the Federal prosecutions, there has been a steady, though not dramatic, rise in prices asked and paid for Dali prints. This has meant a slow increase in appraiser opinions of Replacement Value (for insurance) and Fair Market Value (for resale or donation).
There have also been a great many flawed appraisals written because the appraiser used bogus information sources. We'll talk more about these later in this series.
Every appraisal must take into account the relevant market. That is the market in which a property most often changes hands. There are many markets. For instance, if the works of a particular artist are available only from his studio, that is where their value is established--by sales. If he has a gallery presence and that's where his works are sold, that's the relevant market. These are both examples of the primary market, that in which the art changes hands for the first time. Resales at auction, through galleries or privately, constitute the secondary Market.
Sometimes, availability and the resulting relevant market are restricted. This is important to know because art sold in a restricted market must be valued in that market using sales information from that market. For instance, Park West Galleries contracted with the Albaretto Collection of Turin, Italy to purchase the Salvador Dali prints still held by the collecting and publishing family of Giuseppe Albaretto. Those prints were then sold exclusively by Park West and, because they had direct and unsurpassed provenance and guarantee of genuineness, the prices paid at Park West auctions on land and sea were considered by some to be high. They weren't because the only other sales to which they could rightfully be compared are other sales of similar art with similar provenance sold by Park West. Never mind that an identical image without the provenance, probably without a signature and without the guaranteed authenticity of the Park West material was floating around in the general market. It's price and value would be set by the general market. The Park West prints had to be valued within the restricted market in which they were offered where thousands of collectors bought them.
Every day I speak with Dali print owners who bought their treasure in the print boom of the 1980s and were told at that time that it would appreciate in value every year--especially after the artist's expected death. That event occurred in 1989. My clients have believed all of these years that their print was becoming more and more valuable.
If their print is genuine--either fully original or authorized and signed--then I must explain why the values have not increased as much as they were told they would. If their print is bogus, then I must explain how I know that and tell them that, in spite of what they paid for it, it has never had any legitimate market value. I always share all of the information that goes into my opinions of authenticity.
WHERE TO FROM HERE?
This is the topic that brought me into the world of Salvador Dali in 1980 and has assured that all other professional appraisers have avoided it as much as possible ever since. It is a service that I perform almost daily, not only for print owners internationally, but for a great many of my appraiser colleagues who encounter prints attributed to Dali in the course of doing appraisals of collections. Since they have only one fully informed and dependable source of information, they call me and I introduce them to my service which has supplied credible information to appraisers for many years. The same service is available to anyone who needs it, and they don't have to send me the print. Just go to www.bernardewell.com
HOW DO I DO IT?
It is possible for me to give opinions of authenticity and value for Dali prints because I have been collecting information for thirty years and because I have so many contacts in the market. Perhaps even more important is that I know who knows what they are talking about and who doesn't and I know who those driven by self-interest are. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I have seen more Dali prints and originals than anyone else.
My opinions of authenticity are based on the information in my files accumulated during the examination and appraisal of over 55,000 prints attributed to the Spanish master. Mediums, edition numbers, sizes, appearance of signatures, blind chops, identity of paper and other clues help me place a subject print into the framework of all editions about which I have such details.
When I was serving as the court expert for a long list of Federal and state regulatory and law enforcement agencies I frequently had access to the files of dealers and distributors selling fakes and publishers both legitimate and illegitimate. This body of documentation is unsurpassed. It is also incomplete. As anyone who knows much about Dali prints will tell you, we learn more all the time and know that we shall never know everything we need to or wish to know.
While I would always prefer to personally examine a questioned print, my files let me make legitimate decisions about authenticity without doing so and I have never had one challenged, except in court where I have always prevailed.
My value research is based on a variety of sources and since the results are so varied, I have to extrapolate an on-going sense of what people are willing to pay for Dali prints. There is no single and reliable source of information that one can check for a quick value. While we have tracked both the prices and the values (don't confuse the two terms--more later) of Dali prints for thirty years, it is very difficult to make generalizations about pricing or value trends.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO VALUES?
Prices paid, collector interest, saleability, availability and the attitudes of people in the market often change in reaction to specific events, court cases, investigations, market gossip and even lies which are posted in profusion on the Internet. Thus, if it was possible to place Dali print values over the years on a graph, it would be very confusing. I will say that after the bottom fell out of the Dali print market in the late 1980s through the mid-1990s following the Federal prosecutions, there has been a steady, though not dramatic, rise in prices asked and paid for Dali prints. This has meant a slow increase in appraiser opinions of Replacement Value (for insurance) and Fair Market Value (for resale or donation).
There have also been a great many flawed appraisals written because the appraiser used bogus information sources. We'll talk more about these later in this series.
Every appraisal must take into account the relevant market. That is the market in which a property most often changes hands. There are many markets. For instance, if the works of a particular artist are available only from his studio, that is where their value is established--by sales. If he has a gallery presence and that's where his works are sold, that's the relevant market. These are both examples of the primary market, that in which the art changes hands for the first time. Resales at auction, through galleries or privately, constitute the secondary Market.
Sometimes, availability and the resulting relevant market are restricted. This is important to know because art sold in a restricted market must be valued in that market using sales information from that market. For instance, Park West Galleries contracted with the Albaretto Collection of Turin, Italy to purchase the Salvador Dali prints still held by the collecting and publishing family of Giuseppe Albaretto. Those prints were then sold exclusively by Park West and, because they had direct and unsurpassed provenance and guarantee of genuineness, the prices paid at Park West auctions on land and sea were considered by some to be high. They weren't because the only other sales to which they could rightfully be compared are other sales of similar art with similar provenance sold by Park West. Never mind that an identical image without the provenance, probably without a signature and without the guaranteed authenticity of the Park West material was floating around in the general market. It's price and value would be set by the general market. The Park West prints had to be valued within the restricted market in which they were offered where thousands of collectors bought them.
Every day I speak with Dali print owners who bought their treasure in the print boom of the 1980s and were told at that time that it would appreciate in value every year--especially after the artist's expected death. That event occurred in 1989. My clients have believed all of these years that their print was becoming more and more valuable.
If their print is genuine--either fully original or authorized and signed--then I must explain why the values have not increased as much as they were told they would. If their print is bogus, then I must explain how I know that and tell them that, in spite of what they paid for it, it has never had any legitimate market value. I always share all of the information that goes into my opinions of authenticity.
WHERE TO FROM HERE?
In future posts of this blog, I'll look at such topics as:
- Pricing at auction
- Pricing on Internet brokerage sites
- Pricing in the galleries
- The appropriate use of the "Print Price Guide" (a book review)
- Other sources of information; good and bad
Friday, June 18, 2010
Ah, Summer In Santa Fe and rattle snakes
AH, SUMMER IN SANTA FE!
I just can't tell you how nice it is to be back in Santa Fe with only a few comparatively short trips on the schedule for the next three months. Santa Fe is such a wonder at this time of the year. There are musical festivals, the Santa Fe Opera season, the chamber music season, the Site Santa Fe biennial, Indian Market, Art Santa Fe, a fantastic video installation and so many cultural events that one cannot help but miss a lot of them.
The weather is warmer than usual (mid 80s to occasionally the low 90s) but very dry, so we don't have the discomfort of the more humid parts of the country. The daily breezes help and at night, the temperatures drop into the 50s. All of those outside concerts recommend a light sweater. Of course, the sky is that lovely turquoise every day and at night, the stars remind us that we are at 7,000 feet with no pollution or humidity.
I'm really enjoying working on my property a great deal and sitting out reading in the evening as the setting sun paints Glorietta Mesa across the canyon a glowing orange. Our home and land are within a National Historic Park so we are surrounded by wilderness and at night there are no lights.
So why am I going on like this? The first answer is because I love so much living this way. The second is that I know what a great contrast there is between my life and the people who attack me because I serve as an independent expert witness in court and know the truth about their activities and twisted postings online. My conscience is completely clear because I always act and speak ethically. I'm not tainted by the poison that must boil through the blood of those who try to smear me and my professional integrity.
The next trial in the on-going Dali Wars won't start until sometime in 2011. That will be the most important one because it is about the authenticity of the Dali prints sold by Park West Gallery. Finally it will be possible to prove in court that every one is indeed authentic--whatever the misguided folks might claim. That's so far in the future, however, and I'm so sure of the truth that I can forget about it for now and enjoy summer in Santa Fe.
One interesting event recently is the story of the two rattle snakes. One day I happened across a rattle snake while I was going out to the bird feeding platform. We serve about a ton and a half of seed every year and play host to up to 140 humming birds this time of year. We live surrounded by birds and other wildlife. Frequently we are awakened in the night as Kenai, my Malamute, joins the coyotes in song.
Oh, yes. The rattle snake..... It wasn't very large and I was able to get an empty trash can and cover it so I'd know where it was when I returned with my pitch fork. I then tipped the can over, held the snake down with one tine of the fork just behind its head and maneuvered the other tines under it so I could lift and flip it into the can. I then put on the top, secured it with a bungee cord and took it up on the mesa for release. It had six rattles so I identified it as a pygmy rattle snake. They are not very large, but they are the most venomous. What a beautiful little creature.
About two weeks later, I happened across what appeared to be its double--probably its mate. This snake quickly disappeared under the garden shed and I've been looking for it ever since. Since they are not aggressive, it may have decided to move on and I may never see it again. If it is still around, I hope to catch it before my dogs find it.
Actually, my daughter, the PhD Wildlife Ecologist, tells me that only about one in four rattle snake bites involves the injection of venom. If a snake is being hassled or attacked, it bites to scare off its attacker, but if the attacker is likely to eat the snake, the venom won't work fast enough to preclude that happening. The venom is saved to kill prey. I've moved and caught numerous rattle snakes of various sizes, but never been bitten. We always treat each other with sufficient respect that it always ends well for both of us.
Then too, rattle snakes are always courteous enough to warn me they are contemplating an attack. That's much more civilized than the people who attack on the Internet without warning, provocation or justification.
Wherever you are, I hope you are also remembering to enjoy summer. Don't let it pass without taking some time to do your favorite summertime activities. And remember, summer involves heat. If you complain about it rather than enjoying it, your complaints about winter's cold won't deserve much attention.
I just can't tell you how nice it is to be back in Santa Fe with only a few comparatively short trips on the schedule for the next three months. Santa Fe is such a wonder at this time of the year. There are musical festivals, the Santa Fe Opera season, the chamber music season, the Site Santa Fe biennial, Indian Market, Art Santa Fe, a fantastic video installation and so many cultural events that one cannot help but miss a lot of them.
The weather is warmer than usual (mid 80s to occasionally the low 90s) but very dry, so we don't have the discomfort of the more humid parts of the country. The daily breezes help and at night, the temperatures drop into the 50s. All of those outside concerts recommend a light sweater. Of course, the sky is that lovely turquoise every day and at night, the stars remind us that we are at 7,000 feet with no pollution or humidity.
I'm really enjoying working on my property a great deal and sitting out reading in the evening as the setting sun paints Glorietta Mesa across the canyon a glowing orange. Our home and land are within a National Historic Park so we are surrounded by wilderness and at night there are no lights.
So why am I going on like this? The first answer is because I love so much living this way. The second is that I know what a great contrast there is between my life and the people who attack me because I serve as an independent expert witness in court and know the truth about their activities and twisted postings online. My conscience is completely clear because I always act and speak ethically. I'm not tainted by the poison that must boil through the blood of those who try to smear me and my professional integrity.
The next trial in the on-going Dali Wars won't start until sometime in 2011. That will be the most important one because it is about the authenticity of the Dali prints sold by Park West Gallery. Finally it will be possible to prove in court that every one is indeed authentic--whatever the misguided folks might claim. That's so far in the future, however, and I'm so sure of the truth that I can forget about it for now and enjoy summer in Santa Fe.
One interesting event recently is the story of the two rattle snakes. One day I happened across a rattle snake while I was going out to the bird feeding platform. We serve about a ton and a half of seed every year and play host to up to 140 humming birds this time of year. We live surrounded by birds and other wildlife. Frequently we are awakened in the night as Kenai, my Malamute, joins the coyotes in song.
Oh, yes. The rattle snake..... It wasn't very large and I was able to get an empty trash can and cover it so I'd know where it was when I returned with my pitch fork. I then tipped the can over, held the snake down with one tine of the fork just behind its head and maneuvered the other tines under it so I could lift and flip it into the can. I then put on the top, secured it with a bungee cord and took it up on the mesa for release. It had six rattles so I identified it as a pygmy rattle snake. They are not very large, but they are the most venomous. What a beautiful little creature.
About two weeks later, I happened across what appeared to be its double--probably its mate. This snake quickly disappeared under the garden shed and I've been looking for it ever since. Since they are not aggressive, it may have decided to move on and I may never see it again. If it is still around, I hope to catch it before my dogs find it.
Actually, my daughter, the PhD Wildlife Ecologist, tells me that only about one in four rattle snake bites involves the injection of venom. If a snake is being hassled or attacked, it bites to scare off its attacker, but if the attacker is likely to eat the snake, the venom won't work fast enough to preclude that happening. The venom is saved to kill prey. I've moved and caught numerous rattle snakes of various sizes, but never been bitten. We always treat each other with sufficient respect that it always ends well for both of us.
Then too, rattle snakes are always courteous enough to warn me they are contemplating an attack. That's much more civilized than the people who attack on the Internet without warning, provocation or justification.
Wherever you are, I hope you are also remembering to enjoy summer. Don't let it pass without taking some time to do your favorite summertime activities. And remember, summer involves heat. If you complain about it rather than enjoying it, your complaints about winter's cold won't deserve much attention.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
THE ARGILLET CONNECTION, Part II
From the first I knew that Pierre Argillet was one of those rare creatures who follow Oscar Wilde's advice to "always be a little improbable".
We were greeted at the door of the Chateau by Marie-Claude, Pierre's assistant and caretaker. A warm welcome was received by Philippe (the Baron Philippe duNoyer) and (the Baroness) Ghislaine and I was greeted with great cordiality. We were shown into Pierre's study to wait while Marie-Claude fetched the famous publisher and photographer.
After about ten minutes, Marie-Claude came back down the hall pushing Pierre in a wheel chair. He was heavily swathed in blankets and his head was resting on his chest. "He has sunk very much," Ghislaine whispered. Aging was to be expected because Pierre had recently celebrated his 84th birthday with a party, the invitations to which exhibited a photograph of Pierre in a coffin with the printed words, "Come and see of I'm still alive."
They stopped a few feet in front of us and there was a minute of uncomfortable silence and then Pierre sprang up, threw off the blankets, kicked the wheel chair back down the hall and shouted, "Not yet!" That was the signal for the fun to begin.
We sat in the study/office for about and hour and a half talking about Salvador Dali, with whom Pierre had worked and cooperated on print editions for fifty years. We talked about specific publishing projects. Pierre told many Dali stories, showed us printing plates and documentation, photographs and memorabilia. Then we toured the crypt of the caste where Pierre's collection of Daliana and artworks comprised the Museum of Surrealism. After collecting the works of Futerists and Dadaist, Pierre had concentrated on the Surrealists and Salvador Dali--who had been expelled from the Surrealist Group by Andre Breton.
Pierre, having discussed many print projects with Dali, considered both preliminary and finished drawings and then helped the Master bring his ideas to graphic reality as etchings and drypoints, had many things to show us. He retained an extensive collection of original unique Dali drawings, watercolors and other creations. He and I had extensive discussions about printmaking techniques and the artist's practices and preferences. Our collegial conversations were uniquely educational.
In one large room was an assemblage of Dalinian objects, including the famous piano with the Dali-painted lid and a faucet on the side that could pour water into a tray in which the piano stood. There too was the life-size wax Salvador Dali that had been made by Madame Tussaude. I realized that the room was a recreation of the installation that had been created for the exhibition at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Of particular interest to me were the photographs and films with which Pierre had recorded the various surrealist "happenings" that he and Dali had staged at the Chateau. There were the six liveried footmen riding their horses up the grand staircase, the "Marie Antoinette" actress in the Orangerie, the hot air balloon and the line of priests carrying a tremendously long snake. These were all events I was familiar with and I deeply regret not being able to participate in them. The only thing that could top that experience would be if my companion was Kurt Vonnegut. (Novelist and brother of my God father, Bernard Vonnegut)
When we all agreed that we were ready to go to lunch, we left the chateau and drove into the Fontainbleau Forest to an ancient inn with tremendous walk-in fireplaces were rows of spits loaded with meats and fowl of all kinds turned over the wood fires. Here we were at Barbizon where so many artists had been inspired to paint. The scenes out the inn's windows all looked like works by Diaz de la Penna and Corot.
We were joined for lunch by a great, friendly bear of a man named Bruno. He is Philippe duNoyer's cousin and after lunch we drove to his farm which features ancient buildings built in a defensive square. The chapel was built in 1200 AD. As I pointed out to Bruno, the people who built it had no idea there was a Western Hemisphere and had never heard of potatoes, corn, chilies, chocolate or squash.
Bruno has found a very ingenious way to make money fro his farm. He owns the only mountain in that part of otherwise totally flat France. On top at one end is a picnic area with the only views to be found for many miles. At the other end, the mountain is still under construction for, after all, it is built of the solid waste from many towns and villages in a fifty-mile radius. An access road carries a constantly long line of garbage trucks, each one of which pays Bruno to dump its load. The mountain is a dirt-covered landfill!
Not only does Bruno make money from the garbage trucks and admission to the picnic area, but the mountain is equipped with pipes that siphon the methane off so it can be used to generate electricity which supplies all of the farm's needs and is sold into the national electric grid.
Unfortunately, since I'm writing in Mexico, I am not in a position to post photographs of Pierre, Philippe, Ghislaine, Bruno, the chateau, the inn and Bruno's farm.
Next Time: The Argillet Connection, Part III will tell you about the next generation of the Argillet family and some internal conflicts and questionable practices.
We were greeted at the door of the Chateau by Marie-Claude, Pierre's assistant and caretaker. A warm welcome was received by Philippe (the Baron Philippe duNoyer) and (the Baroness) Ghislaine and I was greeted with great cordiality. We were shown into Pierre's study to wait while Marie-Claude fetched the famous publisher and photographer.
After about ten minutes, Marie-Claude came back down the hall pushing Pierre in a wheel chair. He was heavily swathed in blankets and his head was resting on his chest. "He has sunk very much," Ghislaine whispered. Aging was to be expected because Pierre had recently celebrated his 84th birthday with a party, the invitations to which exhibited a photograph of Pierre in a coffin with the printed words, "Come and see of I'm still alive."
They stopped a few feet in front of us and there was a minute of uncomfortable silence and then Pierre sprang up, threw off the blankets, kicked the wheel chair back down the hall and shouted, "Not yet!" That was the signal for the fun to begin.
We sat in the study/office for about and hour and a half talking about Salvador Dali, with whom Pierre had worked and cooperated on print editions for fifty years. We talked about specific publishing projects. Pierre told many Dali stories, showed us printing plates and documentation, photographs and memorabilia. Then we toured the crypt of the caste where Pierre's collection of Daliana and artworks comprised the Museum of Surrealism. After collecting the works of Futerists and Dadaist, Pierre had concentrated on the Surrealists and Salvador Dali--who had been expelled from the Surrealist Group by Andre Breton.
Pierre, having discussed many print projects with Dali, considered both preliminary and finished drawings and then helped the Master bring his ideas to graphic reality as etchings and drypoints, had many things to show us. He retained an extensive collection of original unique Dali drawings, watercolors and other creations. He and I had extensive discussions about printmaking techniques and the artist's practices and preferences. Our collegial conversations were uniquely educational.
In one large room was an assemblage of Dalinian objects, including the famous piano with the Dali-painted lid and a faucet on the side that could pour water into a tray in which the piano stood. There too was the life-size wax Salvador Dali that had been made by Madame Tussaude. I realized that the room was a recreation of the installation that had been created for the exhibition at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Of particular interest to me were the photographs and films with which Pierre had recorded the various surrealist "happenings" that he and Dali had staged at the Chateau. There were the six liveried footmen riding their horses up the grand staircase, the "Marie Antoinette" actress in the Orangerie, the hot air balloon and the line of priests carrying a tremendously long snake. These were all events I was familiar with and I deeply regret not being able to participate in them. The only thing that could top that experience would be if my companion was Kurt Vonnegut. (Novelist and brother of my God father, Bernard Vonnegut)
When we all agreed that we were ready to go to lunch, we left the chateau and drove into the Fontainbleau Forest to an ancient inn with tremendous walk-in fireplaces were rows of spits loaded with meats and fowl of all kinds turned over the wood fires. Here we were at Barbizon where so many artists had been inspired to paint. The scenes out the inn's windows all looked like works by Diaz de la Penna and Corot.
We were joined for lunch by a great, friendly bear of a man named Bruno. He is Philippe duNoyer's cousin and after lunch we drove to his farm which features ancient buildings built in a defensive square. The chapel was built in 1200 AD. As I pointed out to Bruno, the people who built it had no idea there was a Western Hemisphere and had never heard of potatoes, corn, chilies, chocolate or squash.
Bruno has found a very ingenious way to make money fro his farm. He owns the only mountain in that part of otherwise totally flat France. On top at one end is a picnic area with the only views to be found for many miles. At the other end, the mountain is still under construction for, after all, it is built of the solid waste from many towns and villages in a fifty-mile radius. An access road carries a constantly long line of garbage trucks, each one of which pays Bruno to dump its load. The mountain is a dirt-covered landfill!
Not only does Bruno make money from the garbage trucks and admission to the picnic area, but the mountain is equipped with pipes that siphon the methane off so it can be used to generate electricity which supplies all of the farm's needs and is sold into the national electric grid.
Unfortunately, since I'm writing in Mexico, I am not in a position to post photographs of Pierre, Philippe, Ghislaine, Bruno, the chateau, the inn and Bruno's farm.
Next Time: The Argillet Connection, Part III will tell you about the next generation of the Argillet family and some internal conflicts and questionable practices.
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