EVERYBODY'S GOT ONE

First let me name drop a little. Signaling the end of Sullivan County high society summer season, the Ethelbert B. Crawford opening at MO David North on Saturday was a big hit. Attended by such art world luminaries as Dr. L. Chua, Robin Winters, John Letourneau, the Druckmans, Julie Merhetu, Paul Pffeifer, Brett Budde, the Voegelins, Alan Barrish, the Markovitz's and many others, the work of Mr. Crawford was ushered into the 21st century in proper fashion. A lovely cheeze platter was provided by the Wray Voegelin Foundation.

     Like assholes and opinions of the work of a long dead artist- everybody's got one.  I came of age in a time, and amongst a group of artists in SF who were simultaneously supportive and critical of each other's work. Maybe it wasn't Paris in the 30's, but it was a healthy atmosphere within which we all worked out ideas, concepts and strategies for very disparate careers. Then i moved back to NY. NYC in the 80's (and I'm sure it is the same now) was completely the opposite. Any serious art dialogue was immediately squashed in favor of salacious gossip. How much was the work? How many sold? Where were they showing next? And who did they blow to get the show? So I was completely amazed the other night when all talk turned to the art of EBC.
   Of course it's easier to have strong opinions when the artist is long gone. But I was still floored at how much discussion there was over this work.  Here's a snippet:

Dr. Chua: "The man was deeply troubled. Look at the shore line. You can see, he just couldn't get it right. It obviously drove him to take his own life."
Brette Budde: "How could he leave that brush hair in the beach scene? HOW COULD HE?"
Robin Winters: "Yes, the work is strong. Maybe an older, more established critic should write on it."
Julie Merhetu: "Wow. This is incredible."
John Letourneau: "I think he was gay."

It went on like that all night. No one held back. I must tell you, it was so refreshing. Here was what would be considered a conservative, out of fashion, never seriously considered artist's work being discussed by a group of working art world professionals. I couldn't be more tickled. Don't miss what they are all talking about. Viewing by appt. 845 434 1918 until Oct. 19, 2012.