The light bulb moment came at a dinner party given by the gallerist Sean Kelly. The dinner was to celebrate the opening in Kelly's New York gallery of a show of photographs by the late Robert Mapplethorpe, curated by the artist photographer Cindy Sherman "It was a really posh little banquet," says Paul H-O, Sherman's beau. Paul checked the place cards at her table and couldn't find his seat. He noted that Michael Stout, the powerful art world lawyer, was on one side of her and that other seats were occupied by performance artist Laurie Anderson, Germano Celant of the Guggenheim and Marisa Cardinale of the Mapplethorpe foundation. Art world toffs all. H-O had been seated at a different table.

"My place card said GUEST OF CINDY SHERMAN," he says.