Kurt Vonnegut's own introduction to his novel "Bluebeard" printed on the dust jacket flap explains clearly why any currently living artist should read this book :
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"This one is about a man who was in on the founding of the first major art movement to originate in the United States, Abstract Expressionism, and whose pictures all fell apart due to an unfortunate choice of materials. He is Rabo Karabekian, a minor character in Breakfast of Champions, whose parents survived the first attempted genocide of this century, the slaughter by Turkey of its Armenian citizens before the First World War.
.... Rabo writes this autobiography in the mansion of his waterfront estate in East Hampton, Long Island, New York, which houses the largest collection of Abstract Expressionist paintings still in private hands -- Pollocks, Rothkos, de Koonings, Gorkys, Kitchens, and on and on. He acquired them in repayment for small loans to colleagues in the early days of the movement, when paintings about absolutely nothing but themselves were considered worthless.
.... Tastes change."
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So, if you enjoyed that little taste, by all means head over to your nearest bookseller and pick up a few of his books. Thank you Mr. Vonnegut for all the wonderful stories . . .
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