From New York to Bordeaux via Hong Kong

Many years ago in New York, where I had my studio for 35 years, I was invited to a black tie dinner at the Waldorf Astoria. It was in the winter of 1970, and the dinner was a fund raising event to help the needy.

The man seated in front of me at the same table, introduced himself. He was Lord Horace Kadoorie, an English Philanthropist living in Hong Kong. In the course of conversation, he told me about his philanthropic projects, and I about my work as a sculptor and weaver. Unexpectedly during our meal, he came across with a very serious question, difficult to answer quickly on the spot: ”if you were to help a needy person, what would you do?” My answer was: “If I were on one side of a river, and on the other side there was a person asking for help, I would reach across, grab his hand, and pull him over to my side, so that I could take care of his needs”. Lord Kadoorie told me that he and his family had been doing exactly that, giving a hand to all the people escaping from Red China.

He told me that the Queen of England had given him the title of Lord in recognition of his merits. He would give each group of escapees from Red China five thousand dollars to start whatever business they wanted, making sure they understood that they could not come back for more. They had all established very successful businesses in various fields.

My immediate, candid answer to his question had surprised him,  and right there on the spot he invited me, my husband Roberto, and my son Carlo, to be his guests in Hong Kong. He told me about a specific one, successful in making carpets, and said how he wished that the carpet-makers could also work with artists and become weavers of fine art tapestries. Perhaps, he said, I could help them get started, but it would be totally between me and them, he could not with this project.

I immediately followed up on the idea, and my family and I arrived in Hong Kong, with three lithographs that I wanted to make into tapestries.  Little had I known that Lord Kadoorie owned half of Hong Kong. We were guests at the hotel owned by the Kadoorie family, The Peninsula Hotel, and we were driven all over in a limousine by one of his employees to visit some of the enterprises that had blossomed out of his generosity. I vividly remember a visit to a farm with they raised tiny pink pigs. I asked the men, “What would you want, that I could send you from Italy?” “A Borsalino hat”, one of the men replied. After I had returned to Rome, I fulfilled this wish. We then visited a boat construction yard, and finally arrived at the carpet factory.

Meeting the carpet-makers and seeing their dedication to their work and its fine quality was an unforgettable experience. We discussed the tapestry-weaving possibilities. I showed them my lithographs, and they were interested in looking, but I left with the feeling that nothing was going to come out of our meeting.

I was wrong. Three days later the man who seemed to be in charge of the business, called me and “respectfully” asked me if I could find the time to visit with them once more, for he had something to show me. The surprise was very touching indeed. They had prepared the space to start working with me on my 3 tapestries, including a section with tubs to dye the wool in the various colors I needed.

The project was also very exciting on a human level. My son Carlo went shopping for a camera with the son of Horace’s brother, and came back very happy with the first important camera of his life. Carlo is an electrical engineer with a master degree from Stanford University in Palo Alto and also a photographer of great talent and quality. I still have not been able to find the pictures that my son took; maybe I will someday, in the cases of letters and photographic material of my life.

When we left Hong Kong, we were all friends and the mail I received from all of them was always a wonderful surprise full of news.

One of the three tapestries was purchased by the Sandoz Pharmaceutical in New Jersey for their boardroom. The second one was acquired by the Palm Desert Museum for their entrance stone wall;  on special occasions the Museum would lend it to their Annenberg Theater. The third tapestry I gave to my son Carlo as a gift.

I have often regretted not having had more time and financial means to continue working with the Chinese carpet-makers.

Lord Kadoorie had another project in mind for me: he wanted to commission one of my sculptures for the lobby of one of his buildings. He had particularly liked “Swirling Seagulls” and he purchased the maquette that I had prepared for his approval. But the final project was interrupted by his death. I still miss his letters and Christmas cards.

I have with me the wonderful memories of our meeting and visit to Hong Kong, but most important it was to change my relation with hands, hands that can help and give hope. With the hands of the clochards, the elderly, the disabled, and abandoned children I produced my photographic project endorsed by United Nations for their fiftieth anniversary. 

Now with hands, I have made a maquette for the city of Bordeaux “La Fontain de la Vie”, which I am hoping to make one day for la Ville en Marche.  Je voudrais bien marcher avec Vous.

Life has given me unexpected gifts, such as that day in New York or, more recently, my correspondence with Alan Juppé and the person whom he entrusted to meet with me the day of my appointment at the Mairie in Bordeaux.

Mr Juppé certainly knows how to select his collaborators. Mr Serge Receveur was very generous with his time and understanding admiration of  my work.

Our meeting was for me a great pleasure.

I am grateful