In the 1950s, after a long and difficult period in hospital suffering from tuberculosis, Jorn had embarked on figurative painting hoping to establish himself at the European level. He often reacted against the works, overpainting the edges or the background. By 1956, he had set up a studio in the little Italian town of Albisola near Genoa where he began to compose a large painting he called "La ritirata di Russia" (The Retreat from Russia). The painting had been inspired by stories told by his friend Umberto Gambetta, who had fought with the Italians in the Battle of Stalingrad (1942–1943) before spending years in Russian prisoner-of-war camps from which few survived. The canvas had detailed these events to such an extent that Gambetta referred to it as "my portrait". Jorn ensured that all such personal references were covered over so as to enhance the work's universal significance. He then titled it "Le fou rire" (sometimes translated The Mad Laughter) and sent it off to Brussels where a collector had shown interest in a large painting by Jorn. In fact it was acquired by the restaurant owner Albert Niels who allowed Jorn to come and work on it further. It was also seen by the Dutch museum expert Willem Sandberg who arranged for it to be sent to the Seattle World Fair in 1961. In that connection, it was renamed "Stalingrad".