JULES OLITSKI
621
wanted to tell me that special something that could help me while 1 was
painting, but all Cara ever did was nudge my hand and make opera-like
sounds.
It
was a week before 1 had the courage to go to the factory.
It
was late
at night and I stood looking at all that aluminum and wished myself
somewhere else. But once I began moving shapes around, sculptures
began to appear and 1 took heart. When the workers Sam had hired
arrived in the morning around ten 1 was done working and could tell
them where 1 wanted them to weld the shapes. But they had to have
their tea, so it was closer to eleven before they would stir themselves. 1
began to love those guys. What a time 1 had. They too . They became
very involved in the sculptures, even began to fancy themselves sculp–
tors . When I'd come to the factory to begin my night'S work, I'd see
some of my aluminum put together into sculptures they had made. 1was
not amused .
1 wanted to paint the sculptures in such a way as to appear to follow
the shape of the various elements. Goodness! Sounds like a theory. Any–
way, 1 felt I had to do it. 1 painted the sculptures, using car enamels and
my dear old spray gun, which I'd had shipped over from the States.
What excitement. 1 ended up with close to thirty sculptures. 1 spent
about five months working in St. Neots . I was not without occasional
company. Some of the sculptors and painters living in London would
drive out to see what I was up to and were generous in their comments.
A New York sculptor came by once. Not so generous.
One day Henry Geldzahler arrived. "I heard you were making sculp–
ture in St. Neots." Henry was the curator of contemporary art at the
Metropolitan Museum. He stayed a few hours, admiring the sculpture,
and as he was leaving, said, "How would you feel about showing these
at the Met?"
"I would feel very good about showing these at the Met. Are you kid–
ding?"
"I'm serious . There is one problem. The Met has a rule that forbids
showing living artists' work, but I'll call the board together and per–
suade them to change the rule."
"Good luck," 1 said and forgot about it. The rule change was most
unlikely, or so it seemed. But they did change the rule and 1 showed five
large sculptures which Clem Greenberg helped me choose. 1 thought the
show was wonderful; some critics thought otherwise. "The worst
painter in America is showing the worst sculpture being made," one
wrathful critic trumpeted. Wow! Record crowds came to see.
