“1956, Paris. I repeatedly visited Zadkines´ atelier on rue de La Grande Chaumičre. Straight away, in the first class, there where two completely nude models posing, I would turn my back to them and make like a giraffe. Zadkine approached and asked if I was ashamed of the models. This was how we met. Later we became good friends. As soon as he arrived at class, he would always ask: “Oú est mon petit…´ I thought it was very strange that he used it in the masculine form, but later I learned that it was an affectionate expression.”