Light and dark of bohemian life ~
Paris Memoir Part One | Part Two
Saint Germain is a mythical boulevard, writers such as Hemingway, Sartre or Henry Miller used to seat at the Cafe De Flore or the Deux Magots. At different times in history masters the like of Sargent, Boldini, Modigliani, Monet and countless others, had hung out in the neighborhood. Pablo Picasso finished Guernica in his studio at Rue Des Saints Augustins, three minutes walk from my center of gravity: Rue Mazarine, where my American girlfriend live in a chambre de bonne, a tiny messy attic!
Love and violence
She too is an artist, a beautiful and sensitive soul. Originally from the Antilles, she was an air-hostess (as they say) and a stylist for Pan Am, before fleeing to Europe after the drama: an intruder broke down the door of her condo in New York and God knows how she survived.
- We conceived a baby and decision was hard
We conceived a baby. But her health is poor, I am too young and stupid, and we are both penniless. Before I know it she decides not to be a parent. I visited her for a few years, trying to give a little help, until she breaks off even as friends. Now she's left this world. Rest in peace my sweet Jeanne Marie!
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| Ian Hargreaves with on of his oil painting of Morocco |
Talents from Countries at war
Among the many young expatriate artists there are Iraqis and Iranians who coexist amicably on the Beaubourg pave while their countries are at war. We are in the 80s, The Poles arrive from Poland as the Country is inflamed by the Solidarnosc protests, nine years before the Wall falls. Many of them are very talented and have a strong art education from the academies of Eastern Europe. There is Ian from London, Omar from Argentina, and Davy who is a British-Malaysian. All landed into Paris in different ways.
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| Ian Hargreaves by the art studio he's built in his backyard in Dorset, UK |
- We were young and looking for adventure
Ian had to leave London for he was on the spot where a gang attacked one of the portrait artists in Piccadilly one evening. Blood is pouring from his head, and he lay on the floor unconscious. Many people stand watching as they beat him and kicked him, but nobody does anything. Except Ian. He decides to help him and grabs the leader from behind before the artist gets killed. "A few minutes later a policeman arrived and the gang run off - Ian recalls -- but the gang leader swears revenge. I felt I had to leave the city for a while. That's how I landed in Paris and met you Francesco"
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| Ian Hargreaves and Francesco Fontana at Ian's art studio |
When I returned home in Sicily, Ian joined me for some time and we painted portraits on the street of Palermo. We imported this custom totally new to the city. His love for the sunny views of the Mediterranean begins here. Many years passed and we kept in touch, even before cell phones and the internet were invented. I went to visit him in the south of England a couple of times a dozen years apart.
Ups and downs of art business
I love to browse through his canvases in the studio he built in the garden. We chat over art and tennis and eat fish and chips. Definitely the friendship of a lifetime! From the streets of Paris, and thru the ups and downs of art business, Ian finally has anded in many prestigious galleries and built a solid career with his splendid oil views of Italy. You can admire them here: https://ianhargreaves.net/
The story of my Paris times can't stop here!
Be ready for part 3 next week. Meanwhile please interact in many ways
Paris Memoir Part One | Part Three
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