New Memoir Recounts A Madcap, Globetrotting Romp to Discover the Secrets of a Discarded Painting
Offbeat humor and countercultural sensibilities abound in this playful riff on art investigations from self-described flâneur L. John Harris
BERKELEY, CALIF. — When food writer L. John Harris is sent to Paris to write about the croque monsieur sandwich, the last thing he expects is to embark on the journey of a lifetime. However, after finding a half-finished portrait left on the street, unsigned but dated January 12, 1935, he decides to uncover as much as he can about the painting. Blending memoir, art criticism, and history, Portrait In Red: A Paris Obsession is the most unconventional real-life detective novel you will ever read (on sale November 5, 2024).
Harris’ search for information on this rescued painting transforms from a quest to uncover the individual artist and the mysterious subject at the center of the half-finished portrait to a deeper exploration into what makes art, and any endeavor, valuable. This investigation takes him from art appraisers to psychics, string theorists to tourists, Russian painters to friendly neighbors. Along the way, he encounters a host of eclectic characters, each offering a unique perspective on the painting and its enigmatic past. He hosts private viewings, guerrilla poster campaigns, and digital art competitions. With a sense of adventure, curiosity, and care, we witness someone’s trash turn into another’s cherished treasure as the search for art becomes its own art project.
Portrait In Red: A Paris Obsession is not just a story about a painting; it’s a celebration of creativity, perseverance, and the pursuit of meaning and beauty in the world full of abandoned talent.
Advance Praise for Portrait in Red
“What a fascinating odyssey L. John Harris recounts, a detective story that is deeply affecting in its humanity, credible in its research. The discarded painting that he picks up one day in Paris leads him on an irresistible quest for answers: Who created this compellingly frank image? Who is the girl portrayed? Who put the picture out with the trash? Here, fully embodied, is the passionate curiosity that drives all human seekers.”
—Lynne D. Ambrosini, Deputy Director and Chief Curator Emerita, Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati
“A lovely voice and a sweet, involving tale.”
—Lawrence Weschler, author of Mr. Wilson’s Cabinet of Wonder
“Local color, endearing ruminations, and Harris’ obsessive love for the City of Light shine through in these pages. C’est formidable!”
—David Downie, author of A Taste of Paris
“A gem of a book—a journey of discovery that reveals much about art’s power to seduce us, and even more about the author’s passion for it.”
—Terrance Gelenter, host of Your American Friend in Paris
“Portrait in Red is a rich global tapestry that is inviting, inventive, and lively.”
—W. Scott Haine, author of The History of France
“An amusing and authentic story of a beautiful and mysterious painting.”
—Serge Sorokko, Serge Sorokko Gallery, San Francisco
“In Portrait in Red, L. John Harris takes on the role of a Paris flâneur who comments on all he sees, hears, feels, and tastes. Harris’s expert eye and palette tease out the nuances of life on the streets of the French capital.”
—Zack Rogow, coauthor of Colette Uncensored
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John Harris, born in Los Angeles, studied art and literature at UC Berkeley in the 1960s. Seduced by Berkeley’s food revolution in the 1970s, Harris worked at several iconic shops and restaurants and wrote The Book of Garlic (1974). He launched his cookbook company, Aris Books, in 1980 and his “Foodoodles” cartoon byline in Bay Area magazines led to a series of illustrated memoirs: Foodoodles (2010), Café French (2019) and My Little Plague Journal (2022). Mr. Harris coproduced with PBS in 2001 the film Los Romeros: The Royal Family of the Guitar and serves as the curator of the Harris Guitar Collection at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Harris’s next book is a history of Berkeley’s “gourmet ghetto,” to be published by Heyday.
