Art of Murder Read Online Free PDF Page A

art in Frankfurt with Wedekind. Also in Florence with Ferrucioli. Is that correct?'
    'Well, I was only with Ferrucioli for one week.'
    She didn't want to hide anything, because that always led to difficult questions later on.
    'You've been painted by both Spanish and foreign artists. Do you speak English?'
    'Aha. Perfectly.'
    'You've done interior works and open-air ones. Which are you better at?'
    'Both. I can be an interior work or a seasonal outdoor one, or even be outside permanently, depending on the clothes and the time of year, of course. Although I can pose permanently outside with adequate protec—'
    'We've seen other works you've done,' the man interrupted. 'We like you.'
    'Thanks. But haven't you been downstairs to see Girl in Front of a Looking Glass? It's a really impressive Bassan, and I'm not just saying that because I'm the work, but—'
    'You have also done mobile works of both sorts: performances and reunions,' the man cut in again. 'Were they interactive?'
    'Aha. They were sometimes, yes.'
    'Were you ever bought?'
    'Almost always.'
    'Good.' The man smiled and peered down at the sheets of paper as if there was something there that amused him. 'This resume is for promotional purposes. I'd like to hear your private one.'
    'What do you mean by that?'
    'I mean your whole professional career, and what you can't put in a promotion leaflet. For example: have you ever been an ornament, a mobile, a utensil?'
    'I've never been a human artefact,' Clara replied.
    It was true, although she had no idea whether the man believed her or not. But her own words sounded rather haughty to her, so she quickly added:
    'Human ornaments have not really caught on yet in Spain.'
    'Art-shocks?'
    She hesitated before replying. She straightened up in her chair - her painted buttocks making a swishing sound - and told herself to stay on her guard.
    'I'm sorry, but where are these questions leading?'
    'We want to know what demands we can make of you,' the man responded calmly.
    'I should warn you, I won't do anything illegal.'
    She waited for a reaction that did not come. She hastened to add:
    'Well, it would depend on the circumstances. But first of all I want you to tell me what you're going to do, where you're going to do it, and which artist is thinking of contracting me.'
    'Your answer first, please.'
    She decided there was nothing to lose by telling the truth. She was not a minor; the two art-shocks she had been bought in that year were not the hardest of thei r kind, and had been put on only in private for an adult audience. But it was also true that on both occasions elements had crept in that perhaps went beyond the limits of what was permitted. For example, in 625 + 50 lines by Adolfo Bermejo, one of the human canvases chopped the head off a live cat and squirted its blood on Clara's back. Was that illegal? She wasn't sure, but the question had been a general one, so she could respond in general terms, too.
    'Yes, I've done art-shocks.'
    'Porno ones?'
    'Never,' she said firmly.
    'But you've worked with Gilberto Brentano, I believe.'
    ‘I did two or three art-shocks with Brentano last year, but none of them was porno.'
    'Have you ever belonged to any group providing underage material for works of art?'
    ‘I worked with The Circle for a few months.'
    'How old were you?'
    'Sixteen.'
    'What did you do there?'
    'The usual. They painted my hair red, ‘I had to wear lots of rings, and I took part in a few murals like Redhair Road.' 'Was that your first artistic experience?' 'Aha.'
    'As far as I can see,' the man said, 'you like tough, risky art. But you don't seem the tough, risk-taking type. You look quite soft to me.'
    For some unknown reason, Clara liked the man's cold disdain. A smile stretched the oil paint on her face.
    ‘I am soft. It's when I'm painted that I toughen up.'
    The man showed no sign of taking this as a joke. He said:
    'We've come to propose something tough and risky. The toughest and most risky thing you've ever