Iolas at my studio in New York

It was in New York, in the winter of 1971. I had a terrible bronchitis and was running a very high temperature. My wonderful friends Maria Laura and her husband H.E. Piero Vinci, the Italian Ambassador at the United Nations, wished to take care of me. Their kind chauffeur, a young man who always helped me in moving around the heaviest of my sculptures, during installation in solo exhibits, came to pick me up and I was given the last floor of their residence on Fifth Avenue, like many times before and after.

Iolas, whom I had approached sometimes earlier, called to visit my studio and left a message. I made the appointment and Maria, the cook of the Italian Ambassador at United Nations, went to meet him at my studio, delivering my note to explain why I could not be there. She gave him my phone number where I could be reached.

He called to say that he had very much admired the work, quote: “You really do not belong in my gallery, but one of you with us, will be ok”. In those days, exhibits at the artist’s studio were not reviewed, but we could not care less. We had a wonderful time, Ruggero Orlando and Jas Gawronski came with the whole television crew, to broadcast this exhibit in Italy: “News from the Art World in New York”.

Iolas was going to make an exception because of the great quality of my work. He was the first dealer to show René Magritte, Max Ernst and brought all the surrealists to America, at a time that no-one knew about them. Also among several others of his adventures, he was the first dealer of Andy Warhol.

Iolas had started the gallery in New York, a small space on the second floor, across the Hotel St Regis, together with his companion, whom he had met while they were both dancers, they decided to open this gallery, to introduce the surrealists to USA. Also with Max Ernst, the husband of Peggy Guggenheim, he had opened the gallery in Paris and shortly after the gallery in Milan. He was an extravagant, flamboyant man who dressed in laces and wore important jewelleries. He had great talent for discovering artists of quality, selling their work, making the most distinguished collections of that period; one of the major ones was the Menhil Collection, who also built the Rothko Theater in Houston.

He felt that there was no better place to show my work than exactly where it was: in my studio. Therefore he moved his gallery to my studio, and I temporarily moved out to stay with my friends Maria Laura and Piero Vinci. Shortly after his boyfriend left him and decided to get married, but they remained partners in their gallery enterprises.

Unfortunately few years after Max Ernst died, Iolas closed Paris and Milan, while the truck had arrived in Milan to unload my sculptures.

He had forgotten to tell me!

Iolas was Greek and not too long after he also closed New York and moved to Greece. His ex boyfriend continued to run a New York gallery, no longer across the street from the St Regis, with not too much success, for the geniality and knowledge of Iolas were gone.

My next step was the Gimpels. They also had galleries in London and Zurich. They represented a very distinguished group of artists: Adams, Appel, Carter, Davie, Hepworth, Jenkins, Niizuma and Soulages.

I therefore felt that I was in good company.

Unfortunately Mr Gimpel died after the opening of the gallery on Madison and 79th in New York. Mrs Gimpel was unable to cope by herself. I had been introduced to them by Charles and Eugenia Zadoc.

Mrs Gimpel accepted to go into partnership with a wealthy man called Weitzenhoffer. He could not care less about Art and artists. He only wanted to buy himself an impressive space where to go every day. His interests were only to invest in musicals, like Jesus Christ Superstar. He was very damaging to the reputation of the Gimpels and responsible for destroying five of my major sculptures in careless handling.

I went blind in rage and despair.