Roger Rote

The Inner

In 1992 tragedy struck Roger Rote when his beloved fellow artist and confidante, Esther Tomb, committed suicide. At this time, Rote was at the height of his fame. Just three months before Tomb’s death, he enjoyed huge popularity in France, and became the first British artist to be commissioned for a solo show at the Centre Georges Pompidou. Her death was a pinnacle moment for each member of the Aureole Collective’s lives, but Rote was particularly affected.

A month after Tomb’s funeral, Rote decided to cancel his major exhibition and moved alone to Messkirch, a small town in southwest Germany. Once there, he dedicated his life to creating new art, whilst actively seeking out and whenever possible buying back his old work. During this time, he also broke all contact with his friends and family including his wife, actress Mariana Rote, and his only daughter.

During the following nine years, his only point of contact was through five letters written to his dealer, promising to return to the gallery and pledging to create art that he hoped would be ‘the most authentic the world had ever seen’. Throughout these exchanges Rote refused to send any information or documentation of his work, on the grounds that it was not ‘actual’ enough to be shown. On December 22nd in 2001, Rote was found dead in his studio at the age of 61.

He died of cirrhosis of the liver, caused by the large quantities of carrot juice he consumed in the hope of improving his poor vision. Because of his isolated circumstances, he was not found for an estimated two months after his death. In his house and studio there were only few artworks remaining as he had regularly destroyed his creations through nightly bonfires, along with a large quantity of his old works. He left a note with instructions that on his death any of his remaining art and related notes should be destroyed. Fortunately his daughter, Claire Rote, who inherited all of his possessions, decided to donate what was left of his collection to Tate Britain, one of the galleries her father regularly visited as a child.

In the last room of the exhibition, we can see some of Rote's final and what many consider to be his most powerful and complex work.

Case one

This wooden container was found on Rote’s kitchen table, it’s contents later identified as Rote’s canine teeth and gold cap. We know that he did not see any medical or dental professional whilst in Germany and so it is thought that Rote probably removed them himself.

Ashes of some of Rote’s burnt work excavated from his back garden after his death

A pair of reading glasses, found in Rote’s studio.

Only fragment left from Rote's painting 'Blast' found in his studio

This is an invoice found in Rote’s studio. The invoice shows the purchase of his 1988 sensual painting ‘Continuous’, first shown in the Royal Academy ‘Blast’ exhibition of the same year.

Blue ink and pencil on paper (date unknown)

Page taken from Rote’s final sketchbook

Black Ink on paper (date unknown)

Page taken from Rote’s final sketchbook

This black and white headscarf, found on his banister, became an identifying item of clothing for Rote when he moved to Messkirch. He did not leave his modest house often or for long periods but with his distinctive small stature he was afraid of being recognised. Locals later stated that when he was sighted he was always wearing this black and white headscarf, in order to disguise himself. He never spoke to his neighbours, and we know of only two interactions with the local community. After his death, a gardener from graveyard close to Rote’s home claimed he had visited regularly despite not having anyone he personally knew buried there. It is also documented that in 1998 he was once removed from a bereavement room in Heilig-Geist-Spital hospital due to some unpopular comments he made to the bereft.

The picture above is of Rote's bedroom fireplace, taken once he had died. The bellow image is a reproduction.

Apart from his studio, Rote’s bedroom was the only room in his house with any artwork. When the house was cleared, it seemed Rote did not leave many personal affects for us to analyse, apart from his obviously love for Camembert cheese with over 200 Le Rustique wooden packaging cases found around his house and garden. The small canvas and sketch were found on his fireplace next to where he slept. The sketch was created with coffee and pencil. The small canvas here is a replica of the one found. It has been debated as to why Rote chose this particular piece to have in his bedroom. As previously mentioned, Rote was born with Gregordysic syndrome and it has been suggested he may have felt a connection to it, seeing it’s small size as a reflection of himself.

Waiting for him

Art historians, along with close friends and family, have been unsure about what exactly caused Rote to have such a fascinating change in lifestyle and artistic practice. Although Tomb’s death was an obvious catalyst for his transformation, they questioned whether there were other reasons why he abruptly changed creative direction after the tragedy.

Following the news of the suicide, Rote’s wife later reported that he rejected his studio and shut himself away in his bedroom for six weeks. Here he apparently spent every hour that he had reading the many books he had purchased throughout the years, but never before had the time to read. With this knowledge, art historians have searched to discover if his subsequent behaviour and actions were influenced by any of the literature he’d studied. From analyzing his letters and the only surviving sketchbook, there is one recurring mention, that being of the short story Waiting for Him by Raula Tonsut.

The narrative is set in the middle section of Bosch’s Haywain Triptych, painted around 1516. The central panel of the Triptych displays humanity being dragged along by sin, following behind a large haywain. Christ observes all different classes of society trying to grab handfuls of the hay, whilst daily life is seen to be taking place in the foreground. The narrative follows a fiercely dedicated unnamed Christian woman, who tries to find her way out of the field, and from what she perceives to be purgatory. Here she meets a range of different characters, each with their own sins and perceptions of guilt and freedom.

Before Rote’s death, Waiting for Him had been fairly unknown to the public, initially only being published alongside other novels as a favour to a client’s daughter in 1944. Since elements of the novel were found to feature heavily in Rote’s letters, the story made a revival, initiating a large republishing of many various adaptations. Respected historian and literary critic, Alex Patriche, described Waiting For Him as, ‘the smallest yet most layered and compelling pieces of existential literature, a gem you must read again and again and again’. With Rote’s father being a Pastor, he was brought up strictly as a Christian, and it has been suggested that the novel was significant in restoring his faith, but his actions after his move to Germany make no suggestion of a religious awakening. There was no documentation of him visiting any Church and no Bible or religious articles were found in his final belongings. There has been no explained reason for Rote’s obsession with the story other than perhaps a strong childhood affiliation, and it remains somewhat of an enigma.

Case two

This was Rote’s copy of Waiting for Him, which was found in his bed. The book, called Tautology, also includes abridged versions of The Trial by Franz Kafka and Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre. It was given to Rote for his 14th birthday. Tucked inside was a small note from his mother.

This hip flask is presumed to have been sent to Rote from his old friend and fellow member of the Aureole Collective, Dorian Ease. The flask has never been officially authenticated, but Tithonus did state he had no knowledge of the item and strongly denied giving Ease access to Rote’s location. The flask was found in Rote’s studio holding coffee granules. It was later rumoured that he acquired Rote’s address by breaking into Cogent’s safe during one of his regular dinner parties. Ease and Rote had a tumultuous relationship. Despite being a member of the collective, Ease did not attend Tomb’s funeral or publically announce his condolences. Although it is unconfirmed, this is generally accepted as his only attempt at contacting Rote whilst he was in Germany, and we do not know if he received any response. In the 1980s, Ease neglected art to become a well-known London socialite and a famous womanizer, leading him to be the central figure in many public scandals of the time. Ease was not present at Rote’s funeral, but died just five months after from a heroin overdose.

This is a letter from Tithonus Cogent, the only person we know Rote contacted during his final years. Cogent had been Rote’s dealer since 1977, when he bought the whole contents of the Aureole collective’s first group show 'The Periphery', turning them into an overnight success. He never revealed Rote’s location as promised, despite many pleas and monetary offers from individuals in the art community. Cogent sent over 800 letters to Rote and kept a fastidious record of each one. A few days after Rote’s death he published a book of these letters alongside his personal thoughts on Rote’s significant artistic change called ‘My companion Rote’, detailing the relationship between them. He still has in his possession Rote’s three final letters, which have not yet been published.

These are three original letters sent by Rote to his art dealer, Tithonus Cogent, dated October 9th 1995 to 3rd August 2001.

October 9th 1995

Dear Tithonus,

I appreciate it has been a long time since we last spoke. I am contacting you because it has occurred to me that soon I will need someone to deal with things I no longer care to deal with. I have a proposal that will greatly interest you. Despite your false concern it is rather pleasing here, its pleasant rolling landscape is more effective on my mood than anything Paris or any other city could offer me. During my time away I have found that what matters is to find a purpose in this life, and I thankfully have found mine. When Esther died, it was as if that great rush of anger had washed me clean, emptied me of hope. It is such a meaningful and useful emotion, anger. Since being here I have become something of a philosopher, and I once read that philosophers must be angry, and in this world, stay angry. I have used this new energy to great, great use. I realise that I have spent many years being a liar, like you. Lying to everyone I ever met, but most offensively lying to myself. My mind now has been totally cleared. I feel at peace with my human condition, like a man who has just narrowly escaped an unwarranted execution, or like that women in Raula Tonsut’s novel when she gazes back into the glorious sky. In the last few years I have thrown myself into life and into my work, which is why I am contacting you. I am creating an incredibly exciting project. I am attempting to create art that is the most authentic the world has ever seen, I am going to have a new exhibition, and I will need someone to carry out the logistics. I do not intend to return to the conventional world again. Knowing you and your greed well, I am sure you will only be too pleased to help me. It is, however, on the strict instructions that you follow my desires to the letter. I am very concerned about the mark I will leave on this world. Before we go any further you must never reveal my whereabouts to anyone, no matter what people may offer you. You know as well as I do that your reward will be far greater keeping my location a secret. I do not want to hear from anyone.

I will contact you again soon with further details,

Regards,

R.R.

January 1st 1999

Dear Tithonus,

I received your letter today. Or maybe it was yesterday, I don’t know. I can see from your last few writings that you are becoming desperate, and more importantly you are incorrectly understanding my position. My work is something profound, but I am not under an illusion that my creations have any meaning. He who despairs of the human condition is a coward, but he who has hope for it is a fool. I have to reiterate: no work is ready to be seen yet. Like any work of art , life needs to be thought about and I am still focused on the creation. It takes time to live. Authenticity, authenticity, authenticity, demands the utmost concentration of the self. And, to answer your request, a mere description of the new work I’m making would be an insult and disservice to it. I also can’t stress enough that I do not care what is happening in any of my old friend’s lives, especially when it is supposedly scandalous. Don’t waste my precious and limited time with this. Gossip prevents the possibility of authentic conversation; you are falling far too much for the present and not focusing on the future. It’s a little underwhelming you would write to me to tell me about Dorian, especially when you obviously disapprove. You cannot judge him for his deeds if he acted in all clearness and authenticity, although I will grant you his decision was more than likely induced by narcotics.

I will write again when I am ready.

Regards

R.R.

PS – Do you still have my painting ‘Colure’ in your office? If so I need to purchase it back.’

August 3rd 2001

Dear Tithonus,

I will not put up with your badgering and insistent letters. I can assure you the works are not actual enough to be shown yet. You trouble yourself with stupid and frivolous things. Furthermore, I do not want to hear from Mariana OR Clare, DON’T forward any more letters from them. They have invaded my freedom for many years and I will not let them do so for any longer. I would feel sorry for Mariana if it wasn’t for her desperation to have Clare as soon as we married. Maternity dooms woman into a sedentary existence, it is one feminine function that is actually almost impossible to perform in complete liberty. Since her whole body is a source of embarrassment, she has done nothing but try to coerce me into devoting my life to her. By cutting ties I am allowing us both to fulfil our greatest potential. I also do not wish to have any contact with Clare, but I have enclosed a small book, ‘Waiting for him’, in my letter. I hope you may be able to pass it on in a discreet way, without telling her it came from me. I’m hoping it will teach her some healthy lessons. I am not sure when I will next contact you, I am going through a very exciting and essential time in my practice and development. I will probably not have the time to write for a long while. My age is somewhat creeping up on me, and I’m finding I have to often ignore bodily signals telling me to sleep or rest. It did come to my attention that I noticed a slight tone of concern in your last two letters. I am unsure whether this is genuine worry on your behalf, but if it is there is no need. I am perfectly aware now. The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. If anything, when you imagine me, you must imagine me happy.

Regards

R.R