A Strong Sweet Smell of Incense: A Portrait of Robert Fraser

Brian Clarke

Hardcover | 28 x 2.5 x 31.5 cm | 264 pp

Pace London | 2015 |9781909406162

This book celebrates the life and achievements of the renowned art dealer and gallerist Robert Fraser, and the various artists with which he worked. It pays tribute to the legendary art dealer and maverick, whose Duke Street gallery was a hub of global cultural change in the 1960s until its forced closure in 1967. The title recontextualises a line from the police report on the drugs bust that resulted in the closure of the gallery, using this moment as the start of an exploration of Fraser’s legacy.

The book accompanied a 2015 exhibition of the same name (curated by artist Brian Clarke) showing works that Fraser had admired or owned, or that he had displayed at his gallery. The artists on view had all once exhibited or had close personal relationships with Fraser. The display included a desk installation, based on Fraser’s own desk from Duke Street, as photographed by Ian MacMillan, recreating the same arrangement of artworks and objects.

A central figure in the 1960s art scene, Fraser’s gallery was the first in Britain to showcase the work of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. He reopened his gallery in 1983 on London's Cork Street, introducing Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring to European audiences.

Speaking on his selection, Clarke said in a 2015 article from Artnet: ‘The choices represent memories to me of the madness and eclectic genius that was Robert. The selection is largely subjective — triggers of memories that remind me of his energy and personality. This exhibition is finally my portrait of him.’

Includes a conversation between Clarke and Harriet Vyner, Fraser’s biographer.