Two quotations from Francis Bacon bookend this curious, exasperatedly affectionate memoir by John Richardson, distinguished art historian and 1991 Whitbread Award-winning biographer of Picasso: 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 (art collector Douglas Cooper) and his apprentice (Richardson) lived for 10 years in the grandiose "folly" Château de Castille in Provence, where they entertained a circle that included Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau, Angus Wilson, Tennessee Williams, and a range of other usual suspects from that period's artistic fraternity. When Richardson left Cooper for the lights of New York, Cooper, in the great tradition of spurned lovers, burned Richardson's remaining possessions, stole his paintings, denounced him to friends and employers, and even attempted to arrange his arrest by Interpol. Cooper was a duplicitous, sadistic bully (among his more outrageous acts was loudly booing the queen outside Westminster Abbey at her coronation). But his deep knowledge of art history and classical cubism and his pioneering collecting of the works of Picasso, Braque, Léger, and Gris were an essential counterpoint to the staid policy of the Tate Gallery and its director, Sir John Rothenstein, for whom he held a deteriorating scorn. Richardson's delight in reviewing this formative period reignites the fire in Cooper flaring nostrils and borrows some of its flame to stoke what is arguably an enriching addendum to his Picasso magnum opus, which, appropriately, bears a dedication to his old sorcerer. --David Vincent, Amazon.co.uk


From Publishers Weekly
Richardson is the acclaimed biographer of Picasso, so his gossipy, candid memoir of his 12-year affair with cubist art collector Douglas Cooper (1911-1984) and their doings as part of Picasso's inner circle is something of an art-world event. Painter-turned-critic Richardson first became involved with flamboyant art historian Cooper in 1949, when he was 25 and Cooper 38. Together they moved into and restored a dilapidated 16th-century chateau in Provence, filling it with pictures by Klee, L?ger, Mir? and Picasso. In Richardson's withering, occasionally bitter portrayal, CooperAthe mentor who opened up the world of modern art to himAis presented as abusive, vainglorious, vindictive, viciously competitive, a Jekyll/Hyde whose bright, sweet exterior masked a cauldron of envy, resentment and rage. Though Richardson describes their stormy relationship as one held together by a passionately shared experience of works of art, one wonders why they stayed together so long if Cooper was truly so horrible. Through Richardson's eyes, we see Picasso as a protean genius turning out paintings, prints, sculpture and ceramics on a grand scale, but also as an egocentric, misogynistic sadist. One spurned mistress, Dora Maar, sobs over Picasso's brutally anatomic, erotic drawings of her, while another mistress (later his wife), Jacqueline Roque, is pathetically subservient and self-sacrificial, turning to drink for consolation. Splendidly illustrated with 121 photographs and art reproductions, this vivid reminiscence shines with its firsthand glimpses of painters Francis Bacon, Georges Braque, Graham Sutherland, poets W.H. Auden and James Schuyler, art historian/spy Anthony Blunt, Bernard Berenson, Jean Cocteau, Isaiah Berlin and many more. First serial to Vanity Fair. (Dec.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
In this remarkably candid memoir, the author of the ongoing, acclaimed A Life of Picasso recounts his own life with Douglas Cooper, his mentor in post-World War II France. Richardson was a young man when he met Cooper and became his confidante. Cooper renovated a villa in Castille, which became a social hub; his collection of cubist art was the best private collection in the world, and his opinions were widely sought after. Moreover, Cooper's exotic behavior earned him a favored place in Picasso's court, and Cooper and Richardson's friendship with the artist yielded many treasured gifts. It also gave the author a behind-the-scenes look at the art world and high society. But there was a dark side to Cooper, related by Richardson rather objectively, considering that when Richardson moved to America Cooper burned all his belongings. Perhaps the keenly observed Sorcerer's Apprentice signals a change in future volumes of A Life of Picasso, reflecting first-hand experiences more than secondary sources. Art watchers will revel in this seamless account, and the many illustrations and photographs add a personal touch to a public dialog. Recommended for general as well as specialized collections.---Ellen Bates, New York Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


The New York Times Book Review, Michael Peppiatt
Had Richardson revealed more about his own personality and inner drives, it would have done much to give this engaging, witty account of a not so misspent youth the resonance of a truly memorable memoir.


From Kirkus Reviews
From art historian Richardson (A Life of Picasso, 1991, etc.), a rich memoir of his years with Douglas Cooper, ``the Berenson of Cubismas much a frank account of a young man's journey to autonomy as perceptive recollections of encounters with such greats of modernism as Picasso, Braque, and Cocteau. Richardson, born in 1924, lost his father when he was five, a loss he suggests would be a factor in his long relationship with Cooper, who was 13 years older. Cooper, a man of independent wealth and an expert on modern art, had assembled one of the finest collections of cubist works. Richardson, trained as an artist, was a tentative literary journalist when he moved in with Cooper in 1949. It was a move prompted by pity rather than attraction, and for the next twelve years the moody, often-venomous Cooper, whom Francis Bacon called ``thoroughly treacherous, would play on this compassion to keep him. Fortunately, the relationship was also based on a ``passionately shared experience of works of art. Shortly after they met in London, Cooper bought a chateau in Provence, which he filled with works by Klee, Braque, Leger, Juan Gris, and Picasso, who also painted a mural on a wall. Braque, Cocteau, and Britten were some of the many famous guests, and their social life was conducted in the highest society; at one point Cooper turned down an invitation to lunch with Winston Churchill because he had already accepted one with Picasso. Clear-eyed about the benefits of his association, and determined to make his own way, Richardson began working on books on Braque and Picasso. Eventually the apprentice had learned enough from the master, and as Cooper's controlling capriciousness became increasingly irksome, Richardson moved out, a step Cooper fought with all his customary ferocity. Deliciously scandalous, immensely entertaining, and filled with characters as masterfully drawn as the portraits by the artists Richardson so acutely evokes. (75 photos) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Review
Praise for John Richardson's A Life of Picasso

"As I read it, my education simply advanced by one great step. It is like being in a clock tower when one of the big cogwheels moves forward by one notch -- a great, simple, fundamental event."
-- James Fenton, Leonardo's Nephew: Essays on Art and Artists


Book Description
The Sorcerer's Apprentice is John Richardson's vivid memoir of the time he spent living with and learning from the deeply knowledgeable and temperamental art collector, Douglas Cooper. For ten years the two entertained a circle of friends that included Jean Cocteau, W. H. Auden, Tennessee Williams, and, most intriguingly, Pablo Picasso. Compulsively readable and beautifully illustrated, this book is both a triple portrait of the author, Cooper, and Picasso, and a revealing look at a crucial artistic period.

Originally published by Knopf
1999 ISBN: 0-375-40033-8




From the Inside Flap
The Sorcerer's Apprentice is John Richardson's vivid memoir of the time he spent living with and learning from the omniscient but irascible art collector, Douglas Cooper. For ten years the two entertained a circle of friends that included Jean Cocteau, Isiah Berlin, Fernand Leger and, most intriguingly, Pablo Picasso. Compulsively readable and illustrated throughout, this book is a triple portrait of the author, Cooper, and Picasso, as well as a revealing look at a crucial artistic period.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

This book is a sharply etched portrait of Douglas Cooper, the colorful Evelyn Waugh-like figure who single-handedly assembled the world's most important private cubist collection. It is also the story of Cooper and Richardson's association, which began in 1949 and came to fruition - and ultimately disaster - at the Chateau de Castille, the eighteenth-century colonnaded folly in Provence that they restored and filled with masterpieces by Picasso, Braque, Leger, and Juan Gris. Besides these artists and the women in their lives, Jean Cocteau, W. H. Auden, Cyril Connolly, Marie-Laure de Noailles, Helena Rubenstein, Peggy Guggenheim, and Anthony Blunt are just some of the figures who leap off the page to appear before us in an entirely new light. A major revelation of the book is its portrait of Picasso in Private Richardson's friendship with the artist coincided with a period of dramatic change in the artist's life.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Richardson is the acclaimed biographer of Picasso, so his gossipy, candid memoir of his 12-year affair with cubist art collector Douglas Cooper (1911-1984) and their doings as part of Picasso's inner circle is something of an art-world event. Painter-turned-critic Richardson first became involved with flamboyant art historian Cooper in 1949, when he was 25 and Cooper 38. Together they moved into and restored a dilapidated 16th-century chateau in Provence, filling it with pictures by Klee, L ger, Mir and Picasso. In Richardson's withering, occasionally bitter portrayal, Cooper--the mentor who opened up the world of modern art to him--is presented as abusive, vainglorious, vindictive, viciously competitive, a Jekyll/Hyde whose bright, sweet exterior masked a cauldron of envy, resentment and rage. Though Richardson describes their stormy relationship as one held together by a passionately shared experience of works of art, one wonders why they stayed together so long if Cooper was truly so horrible. Through Richardson's eyes, we see Picasso as a protean genius turning out paintings, prints, sculpture and ceramics on a grand scale, but also as an egocentric, misogynistic sadist. One spurned mistress, Dora Maar, sobs over Picasso's brutally anatomic, erotic drawings of her, while another mistress (later his wife), Jacqueline Roque, is pathetically subservient and self-sacrificial, turning to drink for consolation. Splendidly illustrated with 121 photographs and art reproductions, this vivid reminiscence shines with its firsthand glimpses of painters Francis Bacon, Georges Braque, Graham Sutherland, poets W.H. Auden and James Schuyler, art historian/spy Anthony Blunt, Bernard Berenson, Jean Cocteau, Isaiah Berlin and many more. First serial to Vanity Fair. (Dec.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

In this remarkably candid memoir, the author of the ongoing, acclaimed A Life of Picasso recounts his own life with Douglas Cooper, his mentor in post-World War II France. Richardson was a young man when he met Cooper and became his confidante. Cooper renovated a villa in Castille, which became a social hub; his collection of cubist art was the best private collection in the world, and his opinions were widely sought after. Moreover, Cooper's exotic behavior earned him a favored place in Picasso's court, and Cooper and Richardson's friendship with the artist yielded many treasured gifts. It also gave the author a behind-the-scenes look at the art world and high society. But there was a dark side to Cooper, related by Richardson rather objectively, considering that when Richardson moved to America Cooper burned all his belongings. Perhaps the keenly observed Sorcerer's Apprentice signals a change in future volumes of A Life of Picasso, reflecting first-hand experiences more than secondary sources. Art watchers will revel in this seamless account, and the many illustrations and photographs add a personal touch to a public dialog. Recommended for general as well as specialized collections. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 7/99.]--Ellen Bates, New York Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Booknews

Richardson (the award winning author of ), presents a sharply etched portrait of Cooper, the colorful figure who single-handedly assembled the world's most important private cubist collection. It is also the story of Cooper's and Richardson's association, which began in 1949, and came to fruition and ultimate disaster at the 18th-century colonnaded folly in Provence that they restored and filled with artistic masterpieces. Contains 124 b&w photographs and illustrations. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Tim Hilton - The (London) Times Literary Supplement

The Sorcerer's Apprentice is a personal memoir. It is also history written by a raconteur. At the end of the war, we learn, Cooper acted as the interrogator of captured Nazis. "Torquemada could hardly have done better", Richardson murmurs, though he was not himself present at sessions which are said to have astonished Cooper's fellow officers. As The Sorcerer's Apprentice proceeds, one comes to relish the descriptions of Cooper's gargantuan awfulness. Nobody could better describe the bully and braggart than Richardson, who adds personal matter of rare interest...

...Richardson is too casual, airy, when he invokes a society to which his readers do not belong. So he writes that Blunt's Soviet controller was "seemingly a Hungarian publisher for all we knew". Here is a superior form of name-dropping. It may be relevant that Richardson had a courtier's role during his years in Provence. He has the manner of someone who had known court secrets. Richardson is glad to report the indiscreet royal stories with which Blunt enlivened Cooper's dinner table, though in fact these tales are not very interesting. A far better story is his account of Picasso's sudden whimsy in deciding the Princess Margaret would make him a suitable bride. In a characteristic ex-courtier way, he allows us to know that "many years later I told Princess Margaret the story of Picasso's quest for her hand. Like her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, she was not amused...."

David Ebony - Art In America