Profession: artist

Jorn (born Jørgensen) studied with Léger, and worked with him on murals for a pavilion by Corbusier. He met Constant at a Miró exhibition in Paris; they then founded CoBrA with Appel, Dotremont and Noiret (and the painter Corneille). Jorn was a founder member in 1957 of the Situationist International along with Debord and Bernstein, and co-authored Debord’s ‘Mémoires’, an entirely detourned document. Utzon was a friend, and designed an underground museum for him that remained unbuilt.

De Kooning and Gorky, fellow-immigrants, shared a studio in the late 1930’s, de Kooning introducing Gorky’s wife-to-be to him at a party. Noguchi went on a transcontinental road trip with the couple (and later provided a doorstep on which Gorky wailed in anguish). Rothko studied under him, and said that he always thought of him as the class monitor. He met Breton and other surrealists-in-exile in wartime New York, where he also met Lam, on his way back to Paris. Matta was a friend from these times, but also became his wife’s lover, an affair that led to the break-up of his marriage and contributed to his suicide.

Gabo was his younger brother and constructivist colleague. Archipenko was a fellow-student in Kiev; the friendship continued later in Paris, where Pevsner also met Modigliani. Malevich, Kandinsky and Rozanova had been teaching colleagues in Moscow; also Tatlin (though he and Pevsner did not see eye to eye). Pevsner first met Duchamp in Berlin, and constructed his head in celluloid. Gabo and he collaborated on sets for Diaghilev. Gleizes helped form the group ‘Réalités nouvelles.’ Pevsner showed Duchamp’s ‘Rotoreliefs’ to Bill: with Pevsner’s friend Vantongerloo, they subsequently exhibited together.

Pittsburgh fellow-student Pearlstein made regular New York gallery expeditions with him, before sharing a roach-ridden apartment. Capote’s alcoholic mother told him to leave her son alone. Klüver made his silver clouds float, Jagger (cleaning for money) met him over dinner, while Philip Johnson got caught in a spat over his ‘Most Wanted Men’ portraits. Mekas and Smith provided underground film connections, Berrigan asked for a cover-design, Duchamp (who liked his spirit) met him at an opening, Dalí made him wear an Inca head-dress. Warhol tried to get Young and de Maria into a band before fastening on Reed and Cale.

Modigliani’s life has been endlessly mythologised, and his work characterised as style over than substance — it’s important to maintain critical objectivity. Akhmatova was a close friend and correspondent and almost certainly one of his lovers. Brancusi was his mentor (before he abandoned sculpture for painting), and let him share studio space. Among his artist/poet friends who sat for portraits were Picasso, Laurens, Rivera, Gris and Cendrars: also Cocteau, who one of his girlfriends said he detested. But many of his closest Paris artworld friends were fellow-jews: Jacob, Lipchitz, Soutine and Kisling.

Clemente went to Afghanistan with Boetti.

Miró, Léger, Hélion and Arp were friends in Paris, Léger writing a catalogue introduction. A visit to Mondrian “shocked” Calder into embracing colour and abstraction in his sculpture. Duchamp, another Paris friend, seeing how transportable his work was, arranged an exhibition after Calder had returned to the U.S., and came up with the word ‘mobile’ (Arp supplying ‘stabile’). Richter included a Calder sequence in a film of his, and introduced him to Huelsenbeck, who said he had foxy eyes. He designed sets for Graham, while Sert invited him to make a mercury fountain in honour of miners who had resisted Franco.

Koch, O’Hara and Schuyler were fellow-members of the so-called New York School group of poets and artists. Held, Rivers and Pearlstein were lasting friends as artists, as was Porter, who said he continued to learn from him: Close was another artist friend. Among the people he collaborated with were Koch (on sets for a play), Ashbery, Padgett and Taylor (whose dance group Katz worked with extensively).

Bourdelle taught him. Masson introduced him to Aragon, Ernst, and Breton (who became a close friend). Others he knew in surrealist circles included Éluard, Prévert, Bataille and Miró. He later met Beckett and Sartre (who accepted him as an influence). Leiris wrote the first article about his work; Genet said in an essay about him that he was the only man he admired. Ernst was inspired to make sculpture after visiting him in Switzerland; Balthus also became close friends with him there. He encouraged Klossowski’s drawing, and was Brauner’s neighbour. An ugly encounter ended a long friendship with Picasso.