After a career that began in the 1950s and spanned numerous genres, Mr. Gainsbourg, like many artists, went through dark times in the 1980s. Mr. Gainsbourg reportedly had to whitewash the wall once in a while to appease his neighbors. Charlotte Gainsbourg, Ms. Birkin’s daughter, had once planned to turn the house into a museum, but gave up on the idea. “He loved the cops,” Mr. Prioul said. In a book called “Gainsbourg Inside,” he gathered the small daily notes that Mr. Gainsbourg would leave to his butler and put them on the pictures, to help the reader understand Mr. Gainsbourg’s true personality.

Source: International New York Times July 25, 2016 13:30 UTC