In May of 1958, former President Harry Truman, his wife Bess, and their friends Sam and Dorothy Rosenman did what many retired folks do - they took a cruise vacation. They crossed the Atlantic on the luxury liner USS Independence, and then spent ten days vacationing in the south of France and on the French Riviera.
During that trip, they spent an entire afternoon visiting famed artist Pablo Picasso. It was visit between two towering figures of the twentieth century who, apart from their fame, could not have been more unalike. Truman hated modern art. Picasso was "modern art's" foremost practitioner. Picasso was an avowed Communist, and Truman hated Communists. Picasso was withdrawn and private. Truman was a gregarious and as open as could possibly be.
The meeting of these two makes for an interesting story, to be sure, but check out the subtitle of the book: "Truman, Picasso and the Cold War Politics of Modern Art". Indeed, about two-thirds of the book is spent on the history of Art in America, and more specifically, on how "modern art", however one might define that term, was received in America. Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, "modern art" was used as a flashpoint for far right political extremists and as a bogeyman for communism and as something that would undermine "all that is good for America", however one might define that term. When the forces of Joe McCarthy were looking under every bed and in every closet for Commies, the Arts did not escape this shameful episode in our history. This crusade was especially espoused by member of the House of Representatives named George Dondero (R-Michigan). I had never heard of him, and he is primarily remembered today, if he is remembered at all, for being one of the sponsors of the legislation that led to the creation of the St Lawrence Seaway. However, in his zeal for going after Art and those who created it, were he alive today, he would no doubt be wearing a red baseball cap and leading the charge to ban books in schools and libraries across the United States. It was this aspect of the book where I learned something and was again reminded of the old axiom that those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it.
As far as Truman meeting with Picasso, some may have seen it as the former President seizing the opportunity to give a Presidential middle finger to the forces of people such as McCarthy and Dondero. If there was one thing that Truman hated more than communists, it was people who sought to infringe upon the most basic of American Constitutional rights.
The other one-third of the book focuses on the Trumans' vacation. As he did in his terrific book "HARRY TRUMAN" EXCELLENT ADVENTURE", Algeo follows the steps of the Trumans' trip. He was able to track down people whom the President encountered on the cruise ship crossing the Atlantic, visited the same spots in France that the Trumans did, and even discovered some of the people that the President encountered while there. For example, there is a story of the Truman party inadvertently crashing a wedding reception in one of the French towns, and Harry ended up posing for pictures with the bride and groom.
He also visited the same spots where the Truman Party and Picasso met and toured, and recreated some of the same poses that the Trumans, Rosenmans, and Picasso stood for. Interestingly enough, any pictures of the event were personal photos taken by Sam Rosenman. There were no news photographers present. The visit itself was barely noted in American newspapers at the time, and David McCullough's massive and definitive biography of Truman makes no mention of it all. Can you imagine if a visit by the Clintons, Bushes, or Obamas was made to an artist of such status (say, Taylor Swift?) took place today? The world would be bombarded by news coverage of such an event.
The Trumans never undertook another such vacation again. The following year, the Rosenmans invited them to join them on a trip to Japan. Harry declined saying "I would love to, but I don't dare." As the President who authorized the use of atomic weapons against Japan, he felt that he would be less than welcome in that country. Kind of sad when you think about it.
I loved the scene that Algeo used to close the book. It was of himself waiting in an automobile dealership while his car was being serviced.....
"Decorating the drab gray walls of the waiting room are two generic abstract paintings, black-and-gray squiggles on white canvas, no doubt purchased from a wholesaler who specializes in furnishings for such public spaces. Modern art is mundane now. Some would argue that it's not even modern anymore."
As with all of Algeo's books, I learned a lot by reading "When Harry Met Pablo", and I learned it by reading this most entertaining account of a little known aspect of Presidential history. History can be taught in an entertaining and informative manner, It does not have to be delivered in massive, drab, and forbidding historical tomes. If you type the name "Matthew Algeo" in the search box of this blog, you will find my reviews of his other books. All are worth reading.
The Algeo Catalog
Every one of them a damn good read!
I give "When Harry Met Pablo" Three and One-Half Grandstander Stars.
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