Vali Myers, A Memoir

by Gianni Menichetti

The Australian artist, Vali Myers, was a legend in her own time. Premiere danseuse of the Melbourne Modern Ballet at seventeen, she left home and spent ten years in Paris, living much of the time on the streets but never ceasing to draw. Ed van der Elsken famously put her on the cover of his Love on the Left Bank, that manifesto of Paris in the 1950's and her work was praised by George Plimpton in his Paris Review. Then, saying good-bye to all that, she spent forty years in semi-seclusion in a wild canyon in Italy, where she continued producing her minute, mystical, and passionate drawings. Tough as nails, she fought the local authorities who wanted to introduce loggers into the valley, after a long struggle succeeding in having it designated an Environmental Oasis. Finally, Vali returned triumphant to her native Melbourne, where she was recognized as an artist sui generis. In this brilliant memoir by her friend and lover, Gianni Menichetti, her art, times, and personality come through unforgettably.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Womens

244 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2007

Reviews

[Lorra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating woman, I am obsessed. I wanted this book to go on forever - the writing style is very unique, and a little all over the place, but in the most charming way, a loving way, recalling a life lived with Vali, weaving bits and pieces together for the whole story. I wanted so many more details - I can only hope her journals are published, I cannot get enough of this woman.

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinary work of love & poetry, this is Gianni's tribute to his partner Vali as well as the story of her life.
We must treasuer these individuals who are not constrained by what the world thinks they should be. A jewel.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew and adored Vali like everyone else who met her.

[Sian Lile-Pastore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this, I loved it almost as much as Just Kids but not quite...
(vali gives patti smith a tattoo by the way)

Vali is a fascinating character and I love the way that Gianni writes about her and like his writing style too, which is slightly strange... he writes simply but it has a lot of charm to it too. There are lots of things I like in this - foxes, a deep connection between animals and humans, nature, paganism, magic, art, drawing and the chelsea hotel.

I thought Gianni wrote very generously about Vali, because frankly she seemed quite mean to him in her later years....

also some of her life made me feel quite anxious - having 45 dogs and loads of other animals, drinking too much, the 'opium years' (which were kinda glossed over), abusive men.... er that's about it.

oh vali also meets quite a few celebs too if you like that sort of thing and i do.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fascinating woman Vali Myers was! This book paints a vivid portrait of an unparalleled life.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having met and spent time with Vali in Melbourne in the late 1990s, my husband lovingly bought me this book as a birthday present recently. What a fine choice it was. Vali was a brilliant, gifted artist who shared a love for animals more than anyone I've ever encountered. This memoir (penned by her friend and lover of 30 years Gianni Menichetti) introduced me to a world that Vali inhabited during her full and creatively rich life. Intimate and reverential, this gentle book reveals little vingnettes of Vali's often tumultuous life as seen through the eyes of Gianna Menichetti. From her humble beginnings in suburban pre-WWII Sydney, Vali evolved to be the true and original boheme, an utter eccentric. There was nothing contrived about Vali Myers, and she has inspired many, including other creatives such as Patti Smith and Tennessee Williams. She was completely engaging to be around, and seemed to effortlessly draw people in with her beautiful other-wordliness of wild hair and tattooed face. I ventured to Melbourne city a few years ago, hoping to return to her studio and view her works just one more time, but unfortunately it had been closed due to lack of funding. I believe there are other projects in the works to share the work and inspriation of Vali; everyone should have the opportunity to be touched by the magic that was Vali Myers.

[Drift E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing, glroious, beautiful, human stories

[kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

so beautiful, endearing and enchanting. immediate favorite.

[Gabe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first heard of Vali Myers in Patti Smith’s book ‘Just Kids’. Patti talks about meeting her at the Chelsea Hotel and she just sounded so intriguing- I had to know more. This book is a bit tricky to get- finally found a copy on eBay and I’m glad I did. Vali is quite a character and although Gianni’s account of her is a bit random and disjointed the main story comes through. Of course it’s his perspective- a perspective initially of a worshipful devotee- later a discarded lover who was, at least in his eyes, ill treated by Vali in the later years of their relationship. I would have loved to hear about it from her point of view.

She is reminiscent of Circe- a witchy and loving but occasionally dangerous figure casting spells from a beautiful remote ‘island’ teeming with animals and a few spellbound men. Her life seemed hard and chaotic but also magical and creative. She was a visionary artist who clearly enchanted most people she met, including lots of interesting writers, artists, musicians and socialites. The way she divided much of her time between living as a recluse in a wilderness in a country where she was always an outsider and never learned the language and a super social existence in NYC was such an interesting split.

I wished there were more direct quotes from Vali- I wanted to hear more of her original voice. It also would have been nice to have more plates of her artwork in the book. But overall a really interesting read about a fascinating woman!

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I approached this memoir with a cynical eye, suspecting its high rating might be down to diehard Vali fans or less aware readers being overwhelmed by the poetic life story of its subject. I couldn't have been more wrong. It really is a work of beauty in its own right, where even its author's grievances are communicated with such self-effacing honesty and love, only the hardest of hearts could fail to be charmed. To say that Menichetti is a poet, the floral hand of his prose is as light as the feather Myers drew with, and while roughly chronological, the chapters are neatly self-contained, so if you know the biographical basics, you can dip in and out and enjoy the ride just as much. For those who know nothing about Myers or are only familiar with her art, I would highly recommend this window into the private world of a truly extraordinary and uncompromising individual whose life was itself, arguably, her greatest work of all, and whose influence continues to reverberate - largely unacknowledged and uncredited - around arts and alt culture circles today. Certainly for anyone with feminist, esoteric, mid-century arts, queer, animal or ecological interests, I'd say this is essential reading. And for young men, too. Straight onto my 'favourites' shelf.

[Lelia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up because I was curious about Vali Myers' art and her unconventional lifestyle and this memoir is one of the most easily available entry points. Understandably it provides only a partial picture of Vali Myers' life - her experiences before she met Menichetti and during her trips away from the valley aren't very well defined for him or for us. What I didn't expect is that despite his fond feelings for her, I ended up finding Menichetti a sympathetic and sincere voice and Vali Myers a whirlwind of bad ideas. He makes it clear that the last decade or so of their life together is painful for him, but if I had been his friend or relative I would have been concerned about his first two decades with her in which his identity is subsumed in the role of Vali's lackey and play toy.

Regardless of whether I liked Vali Myers, I found this book to be comfortably chatty but it didn't grip me, I put it down for long stretches and doubt I will want to dip into it again now that I've finished it.

[Marsmannix · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first hear of Vali Myers in 1974, followed her ever since. When i read this memoir, let's say it shifted my idealized view of her as the gypsy queen.
Gianni was captured by Vali as a young boy, and was unable to escape her clutches until she left Il Porto to die in her native Australia.

Full of revealing details, this is a much needed contribution to round out the picture of a complex, eccentric artist.

Gianni emerged from her influence and became an artist, poet, and activities in his own right. There is an interesting video on YT called "His Savage Mistress", interviewing him.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this memoir of what it was like to live with Vali Myers, written by her longtime friend/ lover/ gopher/ animal husbander/ winner of Most Patient Man in the Universe award, because let's face it: you'd have to be if you love Vali Myers. She truly was a wild one, in both good ways and bad. I felt sad for the guy that she was kind of a bitch to him at the very end, after all he'd done for her, but his forgiveness seems to know no bounds.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vali Myers was truly a powerful personality and creator ahead of her time. In Gianni, Vali was granted something very few women artists have; a wife. Gianni took on the role of long-suffering artist's wife and did the things around the home that allowed Vali to create and travel. A beautiful story only he could tell, but in the end I couldn't help but feel a little bad for Gianni.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a rather endearing book.

[Doobeydo Bumblebee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely easy read. Fascinating look at the life and character of Vali. Would loved to have met her. Gianni is such a lovely soul who adored Vali so much.

[Beatriz De Sousa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gem. In this book u can understand better all the life of Vali Myers, by the view of her long last lover and friend. I was lucky enough to have Gianni signed my book.

[Audacious Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

The wild story of the incomparable Vali Myers as told from her longtime partner. It is touching and compelling and lovely.