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Because his cancer spread, Guidi only lived just over a year at the Grange des Serrées, this amazing place where we lived and worked. He died of this illness, of which I should have died long ago, still full of projects, such as taking up sculpture again after realizing he developed and worked the printer’s ink to the fullest.
Guidi accepted his illness and his approaching death with a certain degree of equanimity because he thought to have ‘accomplished the essential of his work’ and because he knew that he himself was to blame for his illness .... his alcohol and tabacco abuse.
Working until the end, he took care of taking down his paintings after his last exhibition, the 27th of May 2001, just over a month before he died.
He died calmly next to me. Surrounded by our friends, I could stay with him day and night until his death. Two days before he died, very weak but at the same time enthousiastic, he asked me to read professor Lucien Israel’s poems (cancer specialist and poet), that I had to read out again in the professor’s presence at the opening of exhibition at the manoir (manor) de Giverdy.
Being aware of my husband's approaching death, I wanted to maintain the Retrospective exhibition of Guidi, that I organized with Philippe Dailland, at all costs. Two young musiciens, Nicolas Berbain (flute) and Véronique Lilti (guitar) accompanied my recitals.
Professor Israel surprised and honoured us by reciting some of his most moving poems from his collection ‘L’oiseau qui retournait dans son pays’ (‘The bird comes home’).
The manor of Giverdy (near Bona - Nièvre)
