The Diaries of Fred Williams 1963-1970
Fred Wiliams was a painter, not a writer, but he has left us a book that casts a revealing light on the way a great artist thinks. Almost from moment he died, in April 1982, there was speculation about the diaries Williams kept on a daily basis. Many figures in the Australian art scene feared or relished the secrets they reputedly contained. Many dreaded to find out what Fred really thought of them.
All this hubbub, tinged with paranoia or relish, has lingered for 42 years, while we waited for Patrick McCaughey to edit and publish these tomes. But McCaughey, author of the major monograph on the artist, had plenty of other things to do, chiefly as a museum director in the United States. The project seemed as if it had permanently stalled, but last November, The Diaries of Fred Williams 1963-1970, finally hit the shelves! For this, we owe a debt to John Timlin, who stepped in to provide invaluable editorial assistance, as McCaughey’s health declined.
What’s most surprising and depressing is the utter lack of interest shown by the mainstream media in this long-awaited publishing event. I’ve been unable to find a review in any of the major newspapers, or the ABC, although Fiona Gruber wrote one for the Times Literary Supplement, and Christopher Allen covered it in Australian Book Review. As Williams remains one of our most celebrated artists, the lack of reviews reflects an appalling lack of interest, and a woeful cultural ignorance. The weekend papers are full of mind-numbing junk but they can’t find space for a book that should be required reading at every museum and art school.
As usual, this kind of slackness makes me despair for Australian culture, but I’m going to try and do justice to the book.