PIERO GILARDI

Turin 8/3/68

Dear Tommaso

I couldn’t find Marisa Volpe’s address so I’m sending you the photo, hoping it passes.

As we said the other evening at Scwarz it would be good if we met; unfortunately I have to go to Switzerland on Sunday to vote and if you come to Turin for this weekend we won’t meet; anyway I could come on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.

Maybe you already know something about the little messes that happened, but you also know how my crisis has been progressive through the contacts we have had over the last times: a crisis of maladjustment that manifested itself due to my weakness in gestures of a “reactive” nature. So, in front of myself, I am completely wrong; it may have been my feeling dictated by persecution mania but in the last few days I felt alienated from Giane’s trust and consideration, so I also argued with him and refused to let him exploit me on the only occasion in which Gianenzo demonstrated that he took into account my experience, that is: for the arrival of Flavin which I should have assisted.

However, whether it is more or less true that Gianenzo and Piacentino expelled me from the gallery does not matter; what matters instead is that I save from myself what I can.

Having concluded the writing “The mystery of energy” relieved me a little from the depression and now I would like to read it to get your advice on the “filings” that need to be done to it.

I have already given it to Martin because he takes a long time to translate it and I will need it in early April when I go to Kassel-Stockholm and Paris.

Of course I would very much like to publish it in Boatto’s new newspaper, because I think this writing is quite concrete and coherent and important for a newspaper of that kind. Then I will propose it to Studio International and in America I will entrust it to Lippard who promised to help me.

I received a letter from Boezem today with two new projects and the announcement that a new E.T.A. branch will be opened in Amsterdam. (Rauschemberg was there a few days ago).

Barilli declared himself interested in these artists among those documented by me: Adams, Viner Van Elk, Kaks (I still have to show you the works) and of course Merz and Zorio. So given that Gianenzo snubbed Van Elk because “too expressionist” I immediately proposed to Barilli to do at the Foscherari Von Elk+Boezem; Boezem was present at the exhibition of the inflated structures of Paris and Philadelphia. There is also an exhibition in the air in the municipal theater of Kassel on the initiative of a certain Buthe with whom I am in correspondence. Of course Stein and Mond are already involved.

For the Rome exhibition I will try to invent a piece of “fantart” to publish in the catalog together with Martin’s essay.

I’m working hard on orders for carpets that I procured myself (wearing out the shoes).  I’m thinking of giving Gianenzo only 25% of the money, cause he’s not doing anything and has already exploited me enough. So by this autumn I will have the money to go back to New York; I don’t want to be boring with you to insist, but know that when you will go my connections will be a formidable basis for making the most of your visit. Goodbye and hello to Clino. 

Please remember my request about the Boezem deodorant photo.

Piero Gilardi