Douglas Cooper – a complex character with a passion for Cubism
He is remembered today, if at all, for his legendary collection of Cubist art, focusing on the four greats of the movement: Picasso, Braque, Léger and Gris. His taste was backed by intense scholarship and he was one of the earliest collectors of Cubism, a rare passion for an Englishman. He was a man of independent thought and opinions, though prey to paranoia and self-indulgent tantrums. He was apparently asked to resign from the Reform Club four times because of bad behaviour. Francis Bacon, with whom he had a very typical falling out, called him 'a prissy old voluptuary'.
This complex figure is the subject of a new book which claims to be an objective biography. It is enriched by having two authors, although there is inevitably a degree of overlap between their texts. The first part is more or less straight biography, by Adrian Clark. The tone is relentlessly disapproving, a clear dislike of Cooper extending to his quondam partner Richardson. Clark calls Cooper a sociopath, a malign, vindictive and wilful person. He claims that the book 'displays' Cooper's life, rather than judges it, but he repeatedly tells us how unpleasant the man was.
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South Wales Argus
an hour ago
- South Wales Argus
Croissants and coffee to be served in 'Place de Cormeilles
The town's Twinning Association will celebrate fifty years of friendship with Cormeilles, Normandy. To mark the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the twinning of Chepstow with Cromeilles, a small part of Chepstow will be transformed into a gallic celebration of French small town life. The Place de Cormeilles, next to Chepstow's arch, will be turned into a scene reminiscent of a small rural French town, such as Cormeilles. Café tables will be festooned with croissants and coffee and mild French music will fill the Chepstow air. Rebecca Tyson, Chair of the Twinning Association, said, 'It's exactly 50 years on 5th July since Chepstow Town Council invited Cormeilles to become officially twinned with Chepstow. So we thought that we'd celebrate with refreshments, music and other events on the Place de Cormeilles Square. Everyone is welcome to join us. Christine Morton, Vice-Chair, added, 'We're really grateful to the Palmer Centre for working in partnership with us to provide the refreshments. It's going to be a great celebration.' Since the official start of the Twinning agreement in 1975, there have been visits to and from Cormeilles. This year, a group from Chepstow will be going to Cormeilles, in Normandy, to stay with members of the Twinning Association there, and there will be further celebrations of 50 years of friendship. From 11 a.m., coffee and croissants will be served, followed by light lunches at midday and tea, coffee and cakes into the afternoon. Bon Appétit! To find out more, visit the Facebook site of the Chepstow-Cormeilles Association.
Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
I hired a PI after Tattle Life trolls outed my pregnancy – it left me heartbroken, says Jeremy Clarkson's daughter Emily
Scroll down to see how Tattle Life affected thousands of celebs and influencers TROLL HELL I hired a PI after Tattle Life trolls outed my pregnancy – it left me heartbroken, says Jeremy Clarkson's daughter Emily Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE Tattle Life website has been used for years to spread nasty gossip about celebrities and influencers alike. But since its anonymous owner was outed in a Northern Irish court last month, victims of the forums have finally spoken out against the abuse they've endured, including Emily Clarkson. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Emily Clarkson shared her battle with the gossip forum Tattle Life Credit: Rex Features 3 the mum of two had to hire a PI to keep her family safe Credit: Instagram/em_clarkson Speaking on her podcast Should I Delete That? with co-host Alex Light, Jeremy Clarkson's eldest daughter has shared the lengths she went to in an attempt to uncover the trolls targeting her and her family. Englishman, Sebastian Bond, lost his right to anonymity in the courts after he was successfully sued for defamation as the website's founder. The site which attracted 12 million visitors a month was launched seven years ago and supposedly aimed at exposing disingenuous influencers, but has earned the name of a 'troll site; to abuse anyone they see fit.' And Emily was one of thousands of celebrities targeted by people hiding under anonymous accounts to spread hate and abuse. Speaking on the podcast, Emily said: "Tattle has been the biggest thorn in our sides. "You and I, Al, have genuinely been heartbroken by this; it's affected me to the point where I've had to block it on all devices. Emily revealed she has to get those close to her to check the site every few weeks just to ensure images of her kids and her home address wasn't leaked. "I was so broken by it, I haven't been able to check it since Arlo was born, if they say anything bad about my kids I'm gonna die" she continued. The 30-year-old also revealed that her pregnancy with her second child, Xanthe was ruined by trolls on the site who leaked details of her pregnancy. Emily revealed that the cyberbullying got so bad she ended up hiring a private investigator (PI) to find the trolls who were not just harassing her online but stalking her in real life too. 3 Emily is the oldest daughter of journalist and TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson Credit: Amazon Ireland AM guest recalls harrowing online harassment from tattle website "I need to stress, I've found these people, I've hired a PI and I'm incredibly good at finding people on the internet," she continued. Emily's clever detective skills led her to find one Tattle Life user who referred to Emily as 'thrush' as she was 'annoying', but on Instagram would DM Emily being nice as pie. To show her she knew who she was, Emily decided to send her a picture of thrush medication on Instagram and was swiftly left alone by the troll. "She saw it and never replied," Emily chuckled. 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Other individuals who have been targeted by the site are now considering legal action, including applying for Norwich Pharmacal orders to unmask anonymous trolls. After her pregnancy was leaked on the site, Emily got a PI to track down who it was. "It felt really nice to know they could be found, and if you push me too far, I know who you are," she continued. "If I read my thread, I'd think I'm the worst person in the world," she added. Emily made the point that not only did the comments hurt her but could also affect future work partnerships and relationships, and the platform never gave those targeted a chance to defend themselves. Since it was created in 2017, the founder of Tattle Life was anonymous, but it was found out after fashion brand owner Donna Sands and her husband Neil took the owner to court in Northern Ireland, Sebastian's identity was lifted. 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Time Out
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- Time Out
This is Paris's coolest flea market – here's why it's a must-visit
French style – whether it's fits, furniture or trinkety things – is the definition of chic. But you won't find the best gems in mega-chain stores or fast fashion shops: you'll find them with a good old rummage in a flea market. As you'd expect, Paris is full of flea markets, and it can be tricky to decipher which are the biggest, best and when they're all trading – that's why we've just updated our brilliant roundup. So, what's our favourite flea market in Paris? It's Marché aux Puces de St-Ouen! But calling it just a market wouldn't really be fair. As our Time Out Paris writer Alix Leridon puts it, 'Marché aux puces de Saint-Ouennot … is like a whole other world.' This place is pretty huge – and famous, too (it features in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris). Marché aux Puces de St-Ouen actually comprises twelve covered markets and five different shopping streets, spread over no less than seven hectares. Dauphine Market is the biggest of the bunch, and is also arguably the prettiest and most eclectic (so head here if you're browsing and not after anything specific). It's nestled under the glass roof of the main hall, and to find it look out for Futuro House (the massive, orange saucer-shaped spaceship thing). This place has been open since 1991, and today is home to around 150 different sellers. You'll find seventeenth and eighteenth-century antiques alongside stalls selling vinyls, prints and clothes. If you're book-shopping, head to the Passage – that's the place to be for rare editions and retro copies of classic works and lovely art books, as well as enough postcards to fulfill your wildest collector dreams. But there's plenty more than that to explore at this super-flea. Have a read about it in more detail on our page here. Check out our roundup of the best flea markets in Paris.
