Homage to Giacometti

An admirer of Giacometti suggested that he make a sculpture less emaciated than his usual style. He produced a work in progress in the classic form, which his friend applauded. By the time the master declared it finished, it was as slim as all the others. What follows is a reduction of some fifty thousand words from one of my many notebooks to just over five thousand.


29.3.86. ‘God, the other craftsman’, said Picasso. ‘God, the other charlatan’, would have been more artful.

Nothing so sincere as pretentiousness; when it comes to affectation, try modesty.

Of what, John Moss called to ask, did Noel Coward say that it was ‘like Parsifal without the jokes’?

Easy to recruit the eleven disciples; care had to be taken over Judas.

Coggeshall, between Colchester and Cambridge, is a village of many antique shops; central among them was a successful white brick gallery run by the scrupulous Wilfred Bull and his wife. Quite the gentleman, he went shooting with the local toffs. One weekend he tripped; fired his shotgun; killed his brother. Amid the horror, he felt neither shame nor distress. Not the character he took himself for, not long afterwards he shot and killed his nice wife, made off. Wanted.


30.3.86. New citizenship laws allow the return of exiles kept out of España during the reign of Francisco Franco. An additional clause authorizes the repatriation of certified Sephardim from families expelled centuries ago. Raven beauties are reported to be checking into ...