- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: Jonathan Cape Ltd; 1st edition edition (25 Nov 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0224050567
- ISBN-13: 978-0224050562
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16 x 2.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 622,907 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
The eyes have it. Where Richardson's twinkled and Picasso's scorched with Andalusian mirada fuerte, Douglas Cooper, a comic fiend something between Dame Edna Everage and Ignatius Reilly, had "scary little avian eyes", one of which bore a sightless pupil shaped like an inverted keyhole from a Magritte, and a malevolent temper that poured venom like lava. It was impossible to work out which he hated more, himself or the world, but the one fed off the other with magnificent fury, while Richardson followed a step behind rebuilding bridges from the rubble and learning. Cooper pulled strings "so hard they snapped". Two quotations from Francis Bacon, no angel himself, bookend this curious, exasperatedly affectionate memoir by John Richardson, distinguished art historian and 1991 Whitbread Award-winning biographer of Picasso (who is put in the shade by Cooper's hefty shadow): the prophetic "she'll try to lure you to bed, and then she'll turn on you. She always does", finds its uncanny conclusion in "Didn't I warn you she was a thoroughly treacherous woman?".
The sorcerer and his apprentice lived for 10 years in the grandiose "folly" Chäteau de Castille in Provence, where they entertained a circle that included Picasso, Jean Cocteau, Angus Wilson, Tennessee Williams and a range of the usual suspects from that period's artistic fraternity. When Richardson left Cooper for the lights of New York, the outrage of the spurned lover led him to burn his possessions, steal his paintings, denounce him to friends and employers, and even to attempt to arrange his arrest by Interpol. He was a duplicitous, sadistic bully, but, importantly, he was not a bore (among his more outrageous acts was loudly booing Queen Elizabeth II outside Westminster Abbey at her Coronation). Moreover, his knowledge for his subject, classical Cubism, and his pioneering collecting of the works of Picasso, Braque, Léger and Gris, were an essential counterpoint to the staid, unenlightened policy of the Tate Gallery and its director, Sir John Rothenstein, for whom he held a deteriorating scorn which finally resulted in the "Tate Affair", when Rothenstein publicly thumped Cooper. He was certainly not to first that wanted to. On occasion Richardson lapses into routine recall, but generally his delight in reviewing this formative, rites-of-passage period, re-ignites the fire in Cooper flaring nostrils, and borrows some of its flame to stoke a bitchy, enriching addendum to his Picasso magnus opus, which, appropriately, bears a dedication to his old sorcerer. --David Vincent
Product Description
Between 1951 and 1961 the author, biographer of Picasso, lived in Provence at the Chateau de Castille with art historian Douglas Cooper. This is a memoir of Richardson's ten years in the chateau, a ruined colonnaded folly which became a private museum.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A book of memoirs,
By
This review is from: The Sorcerer's Apprentice: Picasso, Provence and Douglas Cooper (Hardcover)
I ordered this book, principally because of my interest in Picasso, but the title is misleading to some extent because this is not a book about Picasso, but a partial autobiography of the author. As a memoir, it provides an insight into a decade that deserves more exposure, the 1950's and a subculture that was definitley below most peoples' line of vision, gay lifestyles. I was additionally surprised that the book was published in 1999, having thought that it was, perhaps, an early attempt by John Richardson at writing. This is not to say that the book is poorly written, but compared to his works on the Life of Picasso, somewhat tedious, although undoubtedly accurate. The work comes alive, for the most part, towards the end, when, after 12 years, he awakes to the realisation that he has become the "sorcerer's apprentice" under his mentor and partner, Douglas Cooper, rather than an authority in his own right; the worm turns, as it were, and he takes off.
We learn far more about Picasso in Richardson's definitive biography of the painter and little in this book. Actually, we don't learn much about anyone really; for the most part, Richardson appears as something of a hanger-on to the glittering people and lifestyle he enjoys while living with Douglas Cooper - ostensibly the subject of the book, with a lot of name dropping and Picasso shoe-horned in whenever the account starts to flag. It is a bitchy account at times; the author appears not to find his lover of a dozen years particularly attractive, even from the outset and describes him as an amorphous blob later on. I found myself plowing on to finish it, but I was glad that I did so. It's not a great book, contains few gems and it could be so much better, because the subject matter is such a rich one. The problem seems to be that the author is constantly struggling to rise to the surface, while dealing with far more important people; it would have been far better to have written an account principally about himself; a proper autobiography.
5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Insightful, Amusing and Repugnant,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Sorcerer's Apprentice: Picasso, Provence and Douglas Cooper (Paperback)
Looking for a biography of Picasso, I came across this: A memoir of life in 1950's Provence with collector Douglass Cooper, the said artist, and his clique. The first section merely a stuffing of self-indulgence and bitchy anecdotes about the art world, Richardson has centred the final part of the book on Picasso - the only point of interest here - who was at this time towards the end of his life. Thus, after 200 pages of solid irrelevance and voyeurism, I was bored and ready to stop reading, remembering that I hate memoirs. The Picasso chapters approaching I read on and was rewarded; for the memoirieness subsides under a painful end-of-epoch feeling as Richardson, his style becoming less rigid, constructs an intimate profile of Picasso, detailing his labyrinthine relationships with Dora Maar and Jacqueline Roque. Insightful: It's almost tragic and almost worthwhile. I got what I had wanted and astounded myself at enjoying such a vulgar, decadent book.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews) 13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Delicious/Malicious Fun, by fermed,
By Fernando Melendez "fermed" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Hardcover)
John Richardson has set aside his scholarly masterpiece (A Life of Picasso: Volumes I & II completed, Volumes III & IV eagerly awaited)to produce something bubbly and light; it is not soda-pop, though, but vintage champagne. Far different from the careful and meticulous research of his Picasso oeuvre, The Sorcerer's Apprentice is a welcome intermission and a clearing of the palate.Richardson writes about himself and his friends, and especially about his love affair with Douglas Cooper ("The Sorcerer" of the title), art collector, critic and expert on cubism from whom Richardson learned a great deal, both good and bad.The book illuminates not only the relationship between the older, impossible, Cooper and his young apprentice, but also back lights aspects of Picasso, Braque, Lèger and Juan Gris as they are reflected in the tumultuous lives of that odd couple. The author is an inveterate gossip, as good biographers should be. He likes to tell the little details that deflate or humanize others. He does not have the malice of Capote (although sometimes he comes close), and he is obviously too amiable and forgiving to twist the knife or seek idle revenge. One cannot be sure about the motives that led to putting out this light froth between the serious stuff; I am glad it is out there, though, and glad I read it. Being taken into Mr. Richardson's confidence and getting to know him will make the enjoyment of his next Picasso volumes all the more intense. 9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Marvelous.,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Hardcover)
Readers looking for the third installment in the Picasso series should know that this wonderful book is not it -- we have another year or two to wait for that delightful experience. This is indeed an autobiographical journey with Richardson into the lives of some of the most fascinating people ever, not the least of whom is the delicious Mr. Richardson himself. Highly, highly recommended.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
New and fascinating views of Picasso and cubism.,
By Midwest Book Review - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Hardcover)
Richardson's fine survey of Douglas Cooper, who assembled the world's most important private cubist collection, provides an excellent consideration of both the man and his involvement in the arts and Richardson's personal involvement with Cooper's works. Chapters offer new views of Picasso based on Richardson's friendship with the artist, plus many other unusual insights on artists and works of the times. Highly recommended.
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