My Private Museum Without Walls

For some time now, I have been keeping a scrapbook of reproductions of art works appearing in magazines and newspapers. I am continually judging my own production, and honing one's skills is helped by assessing one's betters. Opening the book at random, I find on the left-hand page a single-figure painting by Picasso with a well-known work by Bonnard featuring a woman and a cat at a table. Next to the Picasso at the top is at typical work by Nicholas de Stael, made up of thick slabs of impasto. Below it is a portrait of a man at a table by Bernard Buffet in his characteristic style, with thick black lines round the figure and utensils, and thinner scoring agitating the large areas. On the opposite page are three works by Dubuffet, two painting and a piece of sculpture. I find the Picasso of little interest. I have many such works scattered throughout my scrapbook. They are late works that have come up for sale and are featuring in newspapers because of ...