A BURSTING START

The success of his first published book and the influence of his aristocratic parents helped him to mingle with the European high society, the titled and  the famous intellectuals of the era. Pierre Millet, a former French ambassador, Simone Signoret and the extraordinary Solange Berthier introduced him to the glitzy world of the very elite of France's  famous poets, writers and art collectors.

"It was a sudden and a strange trampoline...social acquaintances which made me a successful artist in a plastic and shallow society", told me Maximillien. He added " There, were so many great artists, one million times better than me who starved and struggled on the streets of Paris...and never made it, because nobody knew about them. I was not special.

Simply lucky and well-connected. They bought my paintings, not because I was a great painter, but because those who took care of business and showed  my work were influential and knew many wealthy people. It was their connections and power of persuasion which sold my paintings, not my talent."  Solange knew the art business from A to Z. She managed to arrange a solo exhibition at one of the most prestigious art galleries in Paris. Maximillien freaked out. "Critics are harsh and pompous asses. They will cut me in pieces. I am nobody. I don't want a show at this gallery", Maximillien told Solange Berthier.  And he added "Just get me a small private showing in somebody's home, to see first,  how things go."  Solange had no choice, for Maximillien was stubborn, determined and scared to death. Solange knew everybody in town. And those who were "somebody" in town showed up.  "It was a fake social masquerade. They came with their furs, Estragon, Chinchilla...and ate the caviar and foie gras. And they spent their money like crazy, just to show off. Voila! They bought all the paintings. They were 10 paintings on display and Solange sold all of them."

Solange was crafty, ingenious  and professional. She promised two charitable organizations to donate half of the proceeds. She convinced the directors of those organizations to attend the private show. And they came. "They came to collect their money, not to admire my work.",  said Maximillien de La Croix de Lafayette. Solange opened the show with a very emotional speech. She told the audience to generously contribute to that event, because a large sum of their money will go to charitable causes. Solange had a plan in mind. She invited enormously wealth dignitaries from Europe, Paris and the Middle East who hated each other. She planned it like this. Solange knew that those rich people  who hated each other will do anything to show off, to impress and overbid everyone on the floor. And Solange got it right! Instead of having a private show, the event turned into a heated and agitated public auction. A master plan by Solange Berthier. Maximillien's "La Chanson de Veronique" brought one million Dollars. Nobody could believe it! A Middle Eastern Sheik bought it.

De La Croix de Lafayette is set now. Berthier foresaw a bright future for the relatively obscure but extremely talented Maximillien. Solange duplicated her successful entreprise, and by 1976,  Maximillien de La Croix de Lafayette's  "private occasional  showing" became a "regular, privileged private show for the privileged, the elite, the   rich and the famous," always orchestrated and carried out with class, discretion and sophistication. This remarkable "art affaire" flourished for 15 consecutive years. Until one day, out of the blue, and without any justification, Maximillien de La Croix de Lafayette decided to put an end to Solange's most successful entrepreneurial  endeavors...and to his career as a painter. Nobody could get a word out of him.

Parisian gossips began to circulate in the salons and social milieux. And every big mouth in Paris told a different story. The most remarkable rumors and gossips were those which were  created by the entourage of Gaetan Picon, Pierre Millet, students and Friends of Jacques Prevert and Simone Signoret. Some goes like this "Maximillien decided to stop painting upon his visit to several important modern art museums in America...he was shocked by the mediocre quality of art displayed at those prestigious museums. Also, he was astonished and chagrined to find out that some  rich Americans and Japanese businessmen were buying " stupid and meaningless art" for millions of Dollars, simply because the artists were well-known in America, or because the curators had a financial interest in exhibiting or selling this "fiasco art". This reminded him of the human tragedy of accomplished French artists who were unable to sell their paintings on the streets of Paris! So, he rebelled against those fancy and silly art galleries serving champagne, petit-four and promoting mediocre artists, instead of showing "good art". To him, the modern world of modern art was nothing more than propaganda, deals, schemes and mockery of art...