How I first learnt
I first heard of Vali when I read Marianne Faithfull's autobiography "Faithfull" (a very good account on the 1960's counter culture) several years ago . She speaks of this woman as 'Valli' (Italian friend). I'll quote her here :
"There were some things about my life I did not show Mick (Jagger). Like my friend Valli. Valli was a strange woman who lived in a cave in the mountains overlooking Positano. She had a pet fox and did wonderful paintings. Valli used to talk to her fox, and the fox talked back ! You can't get much closer to a real witch than that. She had tattoos that were like moustaches curling all around her cheeks, mouth and eyes. Just wild. One of those women who have always been an important part of my life - gay women dedicated to worshipping the goddess !
She is also briefly mentioned once more in the book :
"..the meeting took place at my heroin dealer Diana's flat in Kensington High Street. Diana was one of those great Chelsea witches and the queen drug dealer at that time. Diana and her flat mate Demelza were lesbians. When I first met Demelza I recognized from the mystic tattoos on her face that she was in some way related to Valli, the witch who lived in a cave above Positano.."
The picture shown here is from a book I bought last year, called 2nd World Exhibition of Photography , published in 1968.
The caption under her picture reads :
The artiste Valli from Australia who, because of her extreme make-up, is known as the "dead one" in Paris. Photographed in Australia by Bob Willoughby