Over the course of a lengthy career; critic, writer and broadcaster Edwin Mullins has encountered some of the world's greatest artists. Sophie Farrah meets him at home in Barnes to hear a handful of tales.
Art critic, journalist, broadcaster and writer Edwin Mullins lives in a quiet cul-de-sac in Barnes with his wife, Anne. It’s a sunny Friday morning when I knock on their front door, and I am greeted like an old friend.
Over the course of his illustrious career Edwin has scripted and presented more than 100 documentary films on art and art history for broadcasters, such as the BBC and ITV, chaired numerous radio programmes about the arts and written more than 25 books on a multitude of subjects.
Throughout much of the 1960s, 70s and 80s he was art critic for the Sunday Telegraph. During that time he covered some of the most significant developments in the art world as we know it, and interacted with some of the most celebrated and influential artists of our time. Despite the magnitude of this experience, Edwin is humble about his achievements.
“It was pure luck,” he says.
“Luck has ruled my life. Some bad luck too… but the good luck then was that they were looking for a critic who was young, and I was in my 20s. I had freelanced quite a lot, so I was parachuted into the job of being the art critic! Then, the next bit of luck was that colour supplements began in the mid-60s, and The Telegraph was one of the first.”
Edwin’s work, at The Telegraph and beyond, brought him into contact with almost every artist who mattered in the last half of the 20th century. Some were fleeting encounters, others developed into close friendships that would last for decades.
“I also started making documentaries, so most of the people I’ve met have either been through writing books about them, or reviewing their work. Or a feature article. Or even a film!” he explains.
Naturally I am agog to hear some of his stories, but first he tells me about one of his recent publications: Van Gogh – The Asylum Year, a beautifully illustrated account of the little-known year that Vincent van Gogh spent in a mental asylum in Saint-Rémy, France.
Despite immense suffering during his time there, Van Gogh managed to produce around 150 paintings, many of which, such as The Starry Night, are some of his most celebrated.
“I never thought I would write a book about Van Gogh, mainly because there are so many already!” laughs Edwin. “He is arguably the most famous artist in the world, but the year that he spent in Saint Rémy had never been written about before. I couldn’t believe it! So the book I’ve written is month by month, covering the whole year. He had an awful time, but there were bursts of huge activity when he would paint a picture a day, or more!’
Next month marks the release of yet another book, but this latest offering is a little different to his previous works as it does not focus on just one artist, but many. Titled Swimming with Dali: And Other Encounters with Artists – a suitably extraordinary name for what sounds like an extraordinary book – it is packed with in-depth accounts as well as entertaining vignettes.
‘It’s about 25 artists that I’ve worked with and written about, including Dali, who I actually once spent a weekend with…” Edwin explains casually. I choke on my coffee. A weekend sojourn with the Salvador Dali? Edwin laughs at my astonishment.
‘Well, as a journalist I was always sent to interview people. I was reckoned to be a good listener; I would just shut up with my tape recorder and let people talk! So I ended up spending these few days with Dali, which included, at his invitation, a swim in a sea pool right by his house on the Costa Brava. I have this vivid memory of swimming and listening to Dali, with his head above the water, talking about his life, with his moustaches like periscopes. He was absolutely fascinating to be with. So that’s why the book is called – Swimming with Dali!’
Edwin passes me a draft of the book’s proposed cover. Inside names like Henry Moore, Alexander Calder, L.S. Lowry, Francis Bacon, and Jean Cocteau all jump off the page… “Oh and Barbara Hepworth,” Edwin smiles fondly. “She was a dear friend. We used to go to St Ives every summer and spend time with her – she would give us tea and ice cream in her garden. My eldest daughter gets quite embarrassed because I’ve got photographs of her as a baby crawling around Barbara’s studio looking up at her sculptures as if to say ‘what on earth is that?’!”
The legendary Peggy Guggenheim was also a friend of the family. “I used to go and see her in Venice. She wasn’t an artist but she would always describe herself as an art addict!”
Aside from the segments on the people whom Edwin knew well, the chapter he calls ‘Brief Encounters’ contains plenty of smaller, interesting nuggets.
“For example,” he explains, “I never met Picasso but I watched him drawing once, by chance. He was sketching people bathing. Five years later I went to his big exhibition at the Tate and I saw one of his most famous sculptures – called The Bathers! So I wrote a little piece about that. There are lots of little cameos.’
Now in his 80s (not that you would know it from his youthful enthusiasm), Edwin has clearly relished writing about his fascinating experiences and precious friendships. “They just came straight out of my head!” he smiles, “They are my memories. Each of them belong to a particular time in my life, and I value them all.”
I look at my watch and notice that sadly the morning has flown by and I must leave.
I stumble out of Edwin’s house, my mind spinning with colourful memories, Dali’s dream-like moustaches, and this captivating man’s first-hand experiences of some of the greatest artists and artworks of all time. I cannot wait to dive in to Swimming with Dali.
Van Gogh – The Asylum Year is out now, check it out here. Swimming with Dali: And Other Encounters with Artists will be released in April.
