One of the charmed moments of my life took place during a visit to Madrid in the summer of 1991. Alejandro de la Sota sent word that he would like me to visit him at his studio on Bretón de los Herreros. Though already frail, he received me with utmost courtesy and warmth. We conversed in French for about an hour, and then I left, feeling that he had recognized in my position a particular affinity and that he wished to acknowledge this and give me his unspoken blessing, as it were, as a gesture in passing. I cannot imagine receiving a more authentic honor. As I look back it seems like a golden, unpremeditated moment, touched by that feeling for truth which was always manifest in his work... [+]