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Telephone interview Wilhelm de Kooning, 5/3/72

Ms Did helion have an affect on artists here [[strikethrough]] ? [[/strikethrough]]

WdK No he came full blown but he had some effect on other artists younger ones. Of all the Europeans he was one of the only ones who was interested in all the artists who were American. He czme to vist them. All the other European artists came here and we met them slowly and [[strikethrough]] socially [[/strikethrough]] surely but Helion went out of his way to see what was cooking. 

MS When did you become aware of him?

WdK/ At Pierre Matisse's I saw a painting by Miro, a pair of shoes in bright colors. I said to Gorky "I saw a nice [[strikethrough]] painantg [[/strikethrough]] painting of Miro's. " He like it too.  Sometime later I saw a painting something similar to it and I thought it was Miro. But it wasn't Miro. So I said "WHo is the arttst: The lady said he is Jean Helion from Paris and I went to Gorky and said I saw an interest ing painting by a Frenchman, Helion, but he didn't like it then. He said later on that he liked his painting very much and they became good friends. After/ that he began making meticulously beatiful modeled paintings. The curved shapes I liked very much.
He was very anxious for artists to come here from Europe when the war came, and he wanted Mondrian to come here. He wanted to get Mondrian here very much. And after the all came here he said "Vive La France!" and he went right back to France (l aughing) to fight in the war and he was a prisoner in a concentration camp. Just before that his paintings of men reading newspapers, a kind of neo-Romantic Magritte. Like a sign painting, light and dark and that's all. Fantastic thing. If was then that he went back to Paris. 

MS Did he have any influenceHere?

WdK. He must have had an influence, His enthusiasm! He became a very good influence. He was a very important man even at that time. Some years ago I met his at a party in Paris. He asked me to come to his studio but I didntt go. He was reserved then. 

Ms. He cut himself off I think from Americans. 

WdK. Yes. 

MS. Did you ever see his writing?

WdK. He wrote nice papers. The one on Poussin. 

Ms. And S urat?

WdK. Yes and some others. He was a searching ep rson, and a very open person, and he was interested that we should all be together, you know what I mean, and if it influences no harm done. He was a marvellous man. Vive la France! He was the first one to go back.