An artist finds her inspiration in Tobago

In her artist’s statement at the beginning of this book Luise Kimme tells how working in Tobago and in Cuba liberates her from the accepted view of art in Europe and North America. In her fantastic castle/palace in Tobago she is free to express in her wood carvings, statuettes and her paintings the folklore, rhythms, religions of the Caribbean.

Old photographs charting her early life in her native Germany (including flight to the West from Russian occupied territory), her stint learning English as an au pair in England, her life in artist’s colonies in New York, passing references to her travels in South America plus a seeming comprehensive list of artists (mostly avant garde) on both sides of the Atlantic that she has known and worked with take up most of the first part of this book.

The title of this book that is dance comes into its own in the second part of Bolero we get glimpses of the artist’s life in Tobago her passion for dance (she has won gold medals in Latin and ballroom dancing) her involvement with art in Cuba that she believes leads the Americas in art. The rest of Bolero is devoted to Stefan Falke’s photographs of Kimme’s bronzes, wood statues and her drawings and paintings.

If you can’t afford to buy one of Luise Kimme’s statues, or even statuettes, this book is an excellent subtitute, and a superb gift to give to budding artists. You’ll find Bolero by Luise Kimme in The Reader’s Bookshop, corner of Middle and Patna Street, in Nigel Khan, Booksellers outlets nationwide.