The artist Giorgio Morandi once turned down the opportunity of showing his works in an exhibition because the organisers envisaged something altogether too showy for his taste. He rather tetchily declared they were trying to deprive him of “that tiny degree of quiet that is vital for my work”.

Quiet. If one had to find one word to sum up the paintings of the enigmatic artist, quiet would be on the shortlist. He painted pots and vases, bottles and boxes arranged in an apparent disarray, in browns, blacks and greys, muted yellows and off-whites. Unemphatic, Beguiling.