Profession: artist

Architecturally-trained, Matta worked as a draughtsman for Le Corbusier, and later, briefly, for Gropius and Moholy-Nagy in London. He met Neruda and Lorca while visiting his aunt in Madrid: Lorca gave him a letter of introduction to Dalí, who introduced him to Breton. Tanguy was both friend and mentor; Duchamp also influenced him. In New York, he acted as a link between the exiled surrealists and younger American artists, influencing Pollock, Motherwell (who accompanied him to Mexico) and others. Gorky was a close friend, though Matta had an ill-timed affair with his wife. Matta-Clark was his son.

He said that most of his friends weren’t artists, perhaps because of their competitiveness. In Prague he frequented Burian’s theatre, and through him first got to see art by 20th C ‘greats’. He met Rainer (describing him as ‘very nice’) when he escaped to Vienna, and then in Germany met Stockhausen, and Paik and other Fluxus types. Saint Phalle, Spoerri, Arman, Klein and Tinguely were fellow Nouveaux Réalistes in Paris, Jeanne-Claude his partner. In New York, they often dined with Duchamp and Warhol; Oldenburg was another close friend. Christo wrapped Snoopy’s kennel for Schulz, and gave Maciunas a wrapped flower.

Her childhood friend Mathews eloped with her (and married and divorced). Koch and Ashbery had been longstanding friends of Mathews. She and Tinguely had studios in the Impasse Ronsin: he welded armatures for her, became her partner and her regular artistic collaborator. Duchamp introduced them to Dalí. Arman, Klein, Spoerri and Christo were all members of the Nouveau Réalisme group she and Tinguely were attached to. Rauschenberg, Johns and Rivers also became friends at this time (Rivers’ wife inspiring a whole body of work.) She collaborated with Petit on a ballet, and with Whitehead on a film.

Watts provided an important link between Fluxus and Pop Art, his activities more influential than cursory awareness might suggest. The ex-engineer Watts and the industrial chemist Brecht met regularly at a chain restaurant to discuss ideas, Kaprow often present too (Brecht sought Watts out having seen a show of his work). The two organised the seminal Yam Festival, a series of happenings and other events on Segal’s farm; Segal and Lichtenstein were friends as well as teaching colleagues at Rutgers. Maciunas and Watts were responsible for starting the phenomenon of artists’ lofts in SoHo, with Watts the first (illegal) tenant.

Knížák was a cultural provocateur, and leading protagonist in the Eastern European arm of Fluxus, organising various events (his role as post-Communist cultural functionary has been controversial for different reasons). The (untutored) musical aspect of his career is also significant. Vautier and Higgins took part in the first Prague Fluxus concert, coordinated by Knížák. Maciunas, a significant ally, promoted him as director of Fluxus East, and tried hard to get him over to the U.S. (the visa took 3 years to be approved), where Kaprow was a correspondent.

De Maria’s condensed practice has produced iconic works of land art and sculptural installation. Young was a particularly close friend, in California then in New York, and occasional collaborator. Friendships with Morris and Rainer (for over a year, de Maria and Morris saw each other daily, while constructing boxes) also extended from West Coast to East; he also worked with both. He nearly formed a band with Cale and Riley, drummed for an early line-up of the Velvet Underground (before Warhol tried to co-opt him and Young in a rock group), and was art-world friends with Andre, LeWitt and Flavin.