Richard Serra ( above ) and Picasso ( below ) I photographed at Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid. I had gotten to Madrid with a fever which might have altered my mind into a very impressionable mush but here I experienced the most profound attachment to the art of Picasso. There was this room with Picasso’s preparatory drawings and sketches for Guernica, which was in my mind the struggle for the making of Guernica, the trials and errors and the search for the perfect expression. The other museum that had similar impact on me was Vatican Museums but it is a part of a different story.

From my diary at the time:

Reina Sofia. Dali, Picasso, Popova, Magritte, Dali:) the masters had impeccable sense for composition. Broad strokes, Dali’s paintings are very detailed and full of wonder. And finally the Guernica by Picasso – Picasso’s fury monochromatic with perfect sense for composition, I crave to get closer. Odd looks a bit like a collage. Incredible. This has been such an intense day so far. Seeing Picasso’s process was very special / Guernica looks effortless but took a lot of preparation and study. In hindsight now I understand why Guernica looks like a collage – He worked on and developed parts individually. Can’t get enough of Picasso… My back is killing me:) but I am still on the second floor.

Martin Kippenberger’s art in pink crates at the MOMA in New York city. Every time I see a great painting it’s as if I see it for the first time. That’s what MOMA is great at – displaying seminal works in grand scale. I feel at home here, this is my house and I can live here under house arrest.