Collaborations: Relations--confrontations

Richard Hamilton first made contact with Dieter Roth in 1961, having first seen some of his books the previous year. From then until Roth's death in 1998, the two artists collaborated on numerous projects as well as developing a close friendship based on mutual admiration for each other's work. Their personalities and approaches to art were in many ways totally different, but this, no doubt, was part of the attraction. For Roth the collaborations were always a challenge, a fight - albeit friendly. 'He eats me, I eat him, and then we see what's left.' Hamilton saw them as joyrides, full of surprises in which he was carried along by Roth's 'meticulous dexterity' and 'creative energy'. Their collaborations included The Copley Book, Collaborations of Ch. Rotham, Interfaces and Intercases, which are among the pieces reproduced here in full colour.