A House of Knives features real-life art dealer Robert Fraser.
Few figures have had a bigger influence on the 20th century British art scene than Robert Fraser (1937-1986). He was the man who linked the world of Richard Hamilton and Peter Blake to The Beatles, and the man who gave The Rolling Stones their bohemian credibility through his ultimately destructive relationship with Keith Richards and Anita Pallenberg who were living at his flat at the time A House of Knives is set. He was also the man who hosted the John Lennon and Yoko Ono exhibition You Are Here and who gave Gilbert & George their first show. His life was explored in the excellent book Groovy Bob, by Harriet Vyner. I was delighted to discover that that book was also edited by my editor at Quercus, Jon Riley.
Fraser’s life was also the subject of a recent exhibition at Pace Galleries, A Strong Sweet Smell of Incense.