NEWS&SALES
DECEMBER 2019
NOVEMBER 2019
OCTOBER 2019
Two Paintings Arrive at Tel Aviv Framers
Tel Aviv Businessman Roni Peled commissioned two (4ft x 4ft, 122cm x 122cm) paintings from me in June.
They were completed and shipped in July.
It's now October. They're finally out of the crate, ready to be framed.
Next post will be the framed paintings hanging in Mr Peled's Tel Aviv home.
UPDATE:
WORK FROM THE 80's & 90's
THREE 1992 PAINTINGS SURFACE!
As broadband technology increases and more people have access to information and communication, paintings are coming to surface from 20 and 30 years ago.
Last month, a woman and her partner, who currently live in Arizona, contacted me.
Back in the early '90s (when they both lived in New York), they purchased three paintings from me in Soho. They've held onto them ever since.
Photos below show two of the works currently hanging in their Arizona home.
SEPTEMBER 2019
UNTITLED ABSTRACTION
36 in x 48 in
Acrylic on mesh
White frame
.
UNTITLED ABSTRACTION
24 in x 60 in
Acrylic on mesh
White frame
.
UNTITLED ABSTRACTION
48 in x 48 in
Acrylic on mesh
White frame
.
SOLD 11/03
to
Vadim
NEW YORK CITY
3 NEW PAINTINGS COMPLETED
SOLD 11/10
to
GEORGE & YOLANDA P
NEW YORK CITY
SOLD 11/10
to
JOSHUA M.
NEW YORK CITY
"COLOUR FORMS"
(Acrylic on mesh)
36 in. x 48 in.
Silver frame
Just completed this commission
BACK STORY:
The Couple who commissioned this painting saw a similar piece I created that was hanging in the lobby of a river cruise ship that operates on the Danube. It was one of four paintings I was commissioned to make for that ship's lobby. When the couple saw the piece, they fell in love with the visual narrative and wanted one for their home.
The couple contacted Gate 1 Tours for my info and we struck a deal.
I've made several Icarus compositions throughout the years. This one makes #4 in my catalogue of works.
The origins of the ICARUS story can be found in Greek Mythology, It's a tale about a father and son (Daedalus and Icarus) who were imprisoned together on the Island of Crete.
The father (Daedalus) was an Artisan. He devised a way for him and his son (Icarus) to escape the island by creating wings made of feathers and wax.
As the father fastened the wings to his son's arms, he warned him: "Do not fly close to the Sun, it's hot rays will melt the wax and your wings will disintegrate"
Icarus didn't heed. Emboldened by his newfound freedom and awesome ability to fly, he defied his father's wisdom and soared upward towards the Sun.
Alas, the wings fell apart. Poor Icarus plummeted to the sea and drowned.
ICARUS HANGING IN IT'S NEW HOME
AUGUST 2019
"ICARUS"
JULY 2019
Photographs sent to me by Julio del Peon, who purchased this painting from me last May in SoHo. It now hangs in his Manhattan apartment.
THANK YOU JULIO!
UNTITLED ABSTRACTION
24" x 60"
Acrylic on mesh
White frame.
JUNE 2019
COMMISSIONS: MIAMI & TEL AVIV
June was a month spent deep in the studio
2 separate commissions!
4 large paintings!
Dr. Jackie Yee, a Miami Plastic Surgeon, saw my work in New York in Late May, and commissioned 2 paintings for her Miami home:
COMPLETED & SHIPPED!
Roni Peled, a Tel Aviv businessman, was in New York the early part of June, saw my work, and requested 2 (122cmx122cm) paintings for his home in Tel Aviv.
Photographed outside my studio
One of two paintings customer has approved
for shipment to Tel Aviv.
ABSTRACTION
122cm x 122cm
Acrylic on mesh
White frame
COMPLETED & SHIPPED!
MAY 2019
Artful Contraband
Wedding Gift
LEFT: Kjeld Hylfelt (brother of my longtime friend Kai Eric) sent me this photo of a 30 year old signed exhibition poster of mine.
Kjeld deftly framed it with a dark grey matt and red frame, set behind a sheet of non-glare glass. It's a wedding gift to his niece and her husband for their new home. I say well done!
The poster shows one of my favorite appropriation pieces from that 1988 exhibit; Entitled "Bogota Boogie-Woogie" (plastic bags, colored tape, flour), it's a wink and a nod to Piet Mondrian's "Broadway Boogie-Woogie", via the aesthetics of contraband.😉
BELOW: Dr. Albert Kramer, of Scarsdale, sent me photos of a 36"x48" COLOR FIELD / LANDSCAPE, he purchased from me last month. Thank you, Doctor!
APRIL 2019
ABSTRACTION
24in. X 60in
Acrylic on mesh
White frame
New work completed and posted for month of April:
Damon Allen sent me a photo of a painting he purchased April 7th
MARCH 2019
SPRING BREAKOUT
Sneak peak: 3 of 15 New Paintings slated for Spring release
COLOR FIELD LANDSCAPE
36in X 48in
Acrylic on mesh
White frame
SOLD
5/21/19
SAN FRANCISCO
COLOR FIELD LANDSCAPE
36in X 48in
Acrylic on mesh
White frame
SOLD
4/07/19
NYC
ABSTRACTION
"Asian Exchange"
48in X 48in
Acrylic on mesh
White frame
SOLD
5/25/19
CONNECTICUT
JAN 2019
to
FEB 2019
NOV 2018 to DEC 2018
COMMISSION:10 PAINTINGS
MICHAEL STAENBERG COLLECTION
St. Louis
COMPLETED and SHIPPED
OCTOBER 2018
JEF BRETSCHNEIDER / DAMIEN HIRST
KIDDIE EXHIBITION
A customer who resides in NYC's Soho neighborhood purchased a Color Form painting and sent me this picture--- of the piece hanging (in his 3 year old son's bedroom) next to a Damien Hirst dot painting.
(Note toys on the shelf below!)
SEPTEMBER 2018
Folly Island Beach House
ABSTRACTION
30" X 60"
78 cm x 154.4 cm
Acrylic on mesh
White frame
SOLD 9/15/2018
SHIPPED TO SOUTH CAROLINA
JUN-JULY-AUGUST-2018
SUMMER AGENDA:
Traveling and working in the studio
"In-Studio Sales"
(by appointment)
I will be showing again
LABOR DAY WEEKEND in NYC
September 1st & 2nd
(Contact me for NYC locations & times).
MAY 2018
Photo Courtesy: Sean M.
Sold May 13th
"MELVILLE'S TRIP"
ABSTRACTION
29in X 36in
Acrylic on mesh
White frame
Virginia, USA
COMPLETED MAY 2nd
UNTITLED ABSTRACTION
4ft X 4ft
122cm x 122cm
Acrylic on mesh
White frame
SOLD MAY 5th
New York, N.Y.
APRIL 2018
SOLD 4/14
COLOR FIELD ABSTRACTION
31.5" X 60"
80.0 cm x 154.4 cm
Acrylic on mesh
White frame
Brian Friedman (JetBlue Airway's Director of Litigation & Regulatory Counsel), sent me photos of his newly acquired Manhattan apartment. It features one of my favourite paintings "I OWN YOU!" which he purchased from me several years ago. (2013)
---THANKS! (I Love updates on the whereabouts of my paintings)
Painting Title & Specs:
"I OWN YOU!"
2013
4ft x 4ft (121cm x 121cm)
Acrylic on mesh
Red frame
MARCH 2018
2018 ABSTRACTIONS
New Energetic Series
UNTITLED ABSTRACTION
4ft X 5ft
Acrylic on mesh
White frame
SOLD
Pittsburgh Townhouse
(Interior: street-level, front window & entryway)
Last August (2017) this 3ft x 4ft Abstraction (Acrylic on mesh) was acquired from me in New York by Pittsburgh Orthodontist, Joan Kao.
She finally got the painting to Pittsburgh and, as she promised, sent me these photos----THANKS, JOAN!
New York DJ/Musician, Joe Bijou, sent me this photo of a COLOR FIELD LANDSCAPE he purchased from me in December 2017.
The painting hangs in Joe's studio.
Photo courtesy Joe Bijou
---Thank you, Joe!
COLOR FIELD LANDSCAPE
36in X 36in
Acrylic on mesh
White frame
JANUARY 2018
FEBRUARY 2018
WINTER GOAL: 20 COLOR FIELDS
Through the years every painting I've made has found a home.
Of all the styles and concepts, the 36" X 36" COLOR FIELD LANDSCAPE has been the most successful.
My goal during these two winter months (JANUARY & FEBRUARY) is to produce 20 Color Field paintings.
From these 20 paintings, I want to take the best 4 and reproduce them.
4 paintings, in multiples of 10, each numbered and signed.
COLOR FIELD LANDSCAPE
36 in. X 36 in.
91cm. X 91cm.
Acrylic on mesh
Black frame
PROPOSED 12/05
COMPLETED 12/15
SHIPPED 12/18
BOSTON COMMISSION
DECEMBER 2017
MoMA
DECEMBER 8th
7PM FILM SCREENING
(with discussion afterwards)
"OK TODAY TOMORROW"
OK Today Tomorrow. 1982. USA. Directed by Harald Vogl. Written by Vogl, Seth Tillett, and Bibiena Houwer. Cinematography by Tillett. With Joan Waltemath, Terence Sellers, Arto Lindsay, Jef Bretschneider, Tom Wright, Mr Parker Senior, Sedeo Dubai. Digital video from Super8mm. 93 min.
NOVEMBER 2017
Hartford Commission
PRIVATE HOME
Completed and Shipped
Photos courtesy customer
COLOR FIELD LANDSCAPE
"Lewis, Clark, Clark, Lewis..."
36in. X 48 in.
Acrylic on mesh
white frame
New Orleans Commission
LAW OFFICE
STONE PIGMAN
WALTHER WITTMANN L.L.C.
(Attorney Larry O's office)
Completed and Shipped
Photos courtesy customer
COLOR FIELD LANDSCAPE
36 in. X 36 in.
91cm. X 91cm.
Acrylic on mesh
White frame
OCTOBER 2017
MoMA/CLUB 57
POST OPENING
After the opening of the Club 57 Retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art:
1. A noticeable uptick in website visits.
2. People I knew 35, 40 years ago emailed me photographs from "back in the day"
1980-81
PHOTO LEFT: With friends inside my 23rd street loft.
NOTE: Two Basquiat oil stick drawings share the wall with "Shifting Borders".
Sitting across from me (back to camera) is the cinematographer, Lisa Rinzler. This was before she established her prolific reputation with films such as; Three Seasons, Pollack, Menace 2 Society, Dead Presidents, Trees Lounge, etc...
One word describes Lisa's iron professionalism: Committed
Jon Neuburger took this photo and kindly sent it to me.
1978
PHOTO RIGHT: Lisa Rinzler took this photograph of me standing in front of my (just completed) "Shifting Borders".
(I'm seen here doing my "Joe Dallesandro" pose/schtick)
2017: MoMA
PHOTO RIGHT: Hanging "Shifting Borders" for the CLUB 57 EXHIBITION (required more than a nail in a wall).
Special scaffolding had to be erected and electrical wiring had to be run through the wall. (This illustrates what length and expense MoMA will go through to show a work. In respect to the museum's efforts, this artist gratefully says "Thank You"
MoMA CLUB 57 Exhibition Catalogue
MoMA Bathroom: fifty-seven shades of Green!
CLUB 57 Exhibition Catalogue
pages 20 and 21;
left to right: Artists Jef Bretschneider and David Wojnarowicz
Film, Performance and Art
CONFIRMED
Pleased to announce my 1978 kinetic light sculpture "Shifting Borders" will be included:
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART
CLUB 57
NEWS&SALES
Opening October 31st, 2017
thru
April 1st, 2018
in the East Village, 1978–1983
SEPT 2017
A BIG KICK WHEN I RECEIVED THIS!!
35, 40 years ago, before digital de-evolution, during days "ye olde", a time when I lived the inexcusable life, Jean Michel Basquiat and I were friends.
As Jean's fame and notoriety grew...
our time and paths parted...
I received an email containing a JPEG of one of Jean's drawings. The Photographer, Stephen Torton, sent it to me.
There are several drawings and paintings I know of where Jean incorporated my name. This one, I had never seen before. As I studied it, I saw my name tributed 3 times!
Ushering in...memories from another era.
This drawing can be found in the Enrico Navarra book documenting Jean's work.
Sunday, October 15, 2017
While showing in SOHO yesterday, a man stopped and looked at my work. He turned to me and said years ago he had bought 2 paintings from an Artist similarly named "Bretschneider"---And those paintings still hang in his home. We deduced I was that artist.
Later that day, he returned and bought two COLOR FIELD LANDSCAPES.
...
That night, he emailed me a photo; the 2 paintings purchased from me 25 years ago. MANY THANKS!
Jef Bretschneider
1992
UNTITLED ABSTRACTION
4ft X 5ft
Acrylic on canvas
Jef Bretschneider
1992
UNTITLED ABSTRACTION
2ft X 4ft
Acrylic on canvas
FOUND!
1992 CANVAS PAINTINGS
#4
COLOR FIELD/LANDSCAPE
36" X 36"
Acrylic on mesh
white frame
SHIPPED
VENICE, CALIFORNIA
Jill (Jyl) and Peter
:)
#5
COLOR FIELD / LANDSCAPE
36" X 50"
Acrylic on mesh
White frame
DELIVERED
New York
.
SEPT 2017
MoMA & BOXART
Sept 26, 2017, BOXART'S Jim Wines comes to my Nyack studio to measure "SHIFTING BORDERS".
THE PLAN:
jim will return to BOXART (in Brooklyn) where the container will be designed and built.
Another BOXART TEAM will return to Nyack at a later date with the finished container and pack the piece for the trip to the Museum of Modern Art.
UPDATES:
"SHIFTING BORDERS"
September 26th & October 3rd 2017
Oct 3, 2017, BOXART's Transportation & Packing team return with a specially designed container (built by Jim Wines and David Brant) for "SHIFTING BORDER'S" move to MOMA.
COMPARISON / CONTRAST:
SHIPPING CONTAINER & "SHIFTING BORDERS"
Transportation & Packing Team
Left to Right:
Patrick, Matthew, and Lead Packer ( in fashionable denim jacket ) David Brant.
BOXART Lead Packer, David Brant, laying out the container's interior to secure "Shifting Borders" road trip to MoMA.
MAGIC TIME!
Lighting Test for Jef Bretschneider's "Shifting Borders" before sealing the crate.
With the piece secure and a THUMBS UP!---It's onto MOMA!
AUGUST 2017
#13
COLOR FIELD / LANDSCAPE
WESTERN WALL JERUSALEM
27" X 56"
Acrylic on mesh
White frame
8/23
COMMISSION DELIVERED
UNTITLED ABSTRACTION
48" X 48"
Acrylic on mesh
White frame
DELIVERED
NEW JERSEY
Picture courtesy customer. Thanks!
SOLD
COLOR FIELD
24" X 24"
Acrylic on mesh
White frame
SOLD
UNTITLED ABSTRACTION
38" X 50"
Acrylic on mesh
White frame
SOLD
UNTITLED ABSTRACTION
30" X 60"
Acrylic on mesh
White frame
N.Y.C.
PITTSBURGH, PA
SUMMIT, N.J.
JULY 2017
"Setting-up (showing) in this heat is murder"
JULY 9 SOLD
COLOR FIELD / LANDSCAPE
30"X30"
A savvy couple with their daughter "Violet" scooped this painting up as soon as they saw it. My favourite customers: appreciative - aesthetically tuned.
JULY 9 SOLD
ABSTRACTION
30" X 60"
Acrylic on mesh
White frame
Customer purchased for
her MIAMI residence.
SHIPPED
JUNE 2017
ABSTRACTION (Commissioned)
26" X 50"
Acrylic on mesh
Black Frame
SOLD
MAY 2017
NEW YORK - DELIVERED
ABSTRACTION
30" X 60"
Acrylic on mesh
white frame
COLOR FIELD/LANDSCAPE
30" X 30"
Acrylic on mesh
white frame
Picture courtesy customer. Thanks!
FEBRUARY / 2017
Trifecta! - Philadelphia delivered 4/25/17
COLOR FIELD/ABSTRACTION
28" X 60
Acrylic on mesh
white frame
DIPTYCH
COLOR FIELD/LANDSCAPE
28" X 60
Acrylic on mesh
white frame
MARCH 2017
PROPOSED 3/05/17
42in x 60in
ABSTRACTION
Acrylic on mesh
White frame
COMMISSION
Delivered 3/15/17 NYC
Picture courtesy customer. Thanks!
APRIL 2017
Figurative project
4' X 4'
Acrylic on mesh.
JANUARY 2017
ABSTRACTION, 28" X 60", Acrylic on mesh, white frame
SOLD 1/15/17 NYC
Picture sent in by customer. Thanks!
DECEMBER / 2016
A couple from Germany, while touring New York City, saw my work and bought a painting. That evening, the couple boarded a Lufthansa flight home.
24 hours after selling the painting, I received an email with a JPEG attached--- of the very painting hanging in their Berlin home!
To see one of my paintings sold, shipped 3000 miles, and then hung ( with a picture of it hanging!) in less than one Earth day
I say
Astounding!
Remarkable!
IN RETROSPECT
The feeling I got when I received this JPEG was comparable to the feeling I get whenever I receive a delivery through AMAZON.COM
SUPER EXPEDITIOUS! :)
Picture sent by customer. Thanks!
ABSTRACTION
38" X 50"
Acrylic on mesh
White frame
SOLD 12/4/16
NOVEMBER / 2016
ABSTRACTION, 48" X 48", Acrylic on mesh, white frame
SOLD 11/09/16 NYC ---SHIPPED TO CAMBRIDGE MA.
OCTOBER 2016
PAST/RENEWED!
This piece was originally exhibited at the CLUB 57 (New York City) in 1980.
I'm posting this picture because the piece is being considered for inclusion in the CLUB 57 RETROSPECTIVE (scheduled for OCTOBER, 2017 thru APRIL 2018) at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York.
I'll post updates
"SHIFTING BORDERS"
(1978)
MAY 2016
SEPT 2016
FALL ART SEASON BEGINS
9/28/16 (Sunday)
Two customers purchased a total 8 paintings!
INCLUDING: A commission for a 9th painting!
AUGUST 2016
Busy week.
SHIPPED
5 (2ft x 2ft) Paintings prepped
for shipping to St. Louis, Mo.
3 paintings (one 38inx 50in, two 36in x 36in) prepped
for shipping to Boca Raton, Florida.
PHOTOS OF THE MONARCH EMPRESS COMMISSION
The Monarch Empress was built by Ilene and Dani Pipino for their company GATE 1 TOURS.
More info about this commission can be found below OCTOBER 2015
JUNE & JULY 2016
Traveling till July 10, 2016
PORT JERVIS, N.Y.
From 1986 to 1992 I lived in the city of Port Jervis ( about 90 miles North of NYC).
While there, I created and sold several Hundred paintings.
Two solo shows were held during that period. For each show, 1000 posters were printed and distributed.
Two survive.
APRIL 2016
DELIVERY / INSTALLATION
Photos courtesy: Khan Family, New York City
EAST 72nd STREET
NEW YORK CITY
COLOR FIELD / LANDSCAPE
48" X 60"
Acrylic on mesh
MARCH 2016
COMMISSION: NOW ONLINE
Interior designer Jenny Vorhoff of Studio Riga and interior designers Britt Zunino and Kate Gray ofStudio DB in the living room of their completed Tribeca loft project.
A vibrant Jeffrey Bretschneider painting inspired the living room's blue, brown, and natural finishes. The Mitchell Gold / Bob Williams sofa is covered in a durable contract-grade Kravet blue velvet, and a petrified wood stool by Organic Modernism and a table lamp by Aerin for Visual Comfort lend additional texture to the scene.
FEBRUARY 2016
Photo courtesy Addison and Clay M.
THANK YOU!
I was emailed this jpeg February 3rd. Here's the back story:
Partner's, Addison and Clay, purchased this Color Field from me in 2012. At the time, they lived downtown, in the West Village. (N.Y.C.)
In late 2015, they bought and renovated a duplex uptown, on East 56th street. When they moved in, so did my painting
Color Field
4ft x 4ft (122cm x 122cm)
Acrylic on mesh
NOVEMBER 27th
SHIPPED TO PUERTO RICO
ABSTRACTION
29" X 60"
COMPLETED NOV 15th
SOLD NOV 25th
SHIPPED NOV 27th
NOVEMBER 1st 2015
RECORD 9 PAINTINGS SOLD!
"Thank You All!"
OCTOBER 2015
4 PAINTINGS
(53.5"X 37.5")
LOBBY/STAIRCASE
MONARCH EMPRESS
GATE1 TRAVEL COMMISSION
NEGOTIATED AND AGREED!
WORK BEGUN:
COMMISSION BACK STORY:
SEPTEMBER - NEW YORK CITY - SOHO
Early Sunday morning..
I had just started setting up (with only a few paintings out) when Dani and Ilene Pipano came upon my work. They stopped to converse.
"We've never seen work like this before."
Gate-1 is owned by Dani and Ilene Pipano. Their company provides Travel Tours around the world and employ over 300 people in the USA. They also provide livelihoods to thousands more wherever their tours go. The Gate-1 corporate headquarters is just outside Philadelphia, in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.
The Pipano's suggested my art might be a fit for a ship they were building, designed to provide cruises on the Danube River. Using their IPhones, Dani & Ilene showed me photos of the space and asked me what I thought.
I Create and Build. Give me an empty space, I'll fill it with a positive!
My "Commission Guarantee" is straight-forward;
If you're dissatisfied with the end result, there's no obligation to purchase, your deposit is returned.
Dani and Ilene took my card.
3 weeks passed, it was now October. The phone rang. GATE1 was still interested.
When people remember your work (sometimes years after) that's a compliment ( and affirmation ) My work makes a lasting impression.
The Pipano's and I resumed our discussion about the commission. We agreed on Size, Style, and Price. A Deposit was made. Delivery is scheduled in 1 to 2 months.
SEPTEMBER 2015
AMERICA'S LABOR DAY WEEKEND
5 PAINTINGS FOUND NEW HOMES!
"Once Again--All my best work SOLD!!
THANK YOU!"
MIAMI SHIPPED AND INSTALLED
SEPTEMBER 16TH
PHOTO COURTESY: SARA Z.
EMAIL RECEIVED SEPTEMBER 10th
-
Subject Art Clearance needed
-
Message:
-
Hi Jef,
-
-
I'm Melanie Little; I work as the Associate Producer on the twice Emmy nominated show, Million Dollar Listing NY. In case you are unfamiliar with our show, we follow three brokers that sell high end real estate in NYC. One of the listings we'll be featuring this season has one of your works hanging in their home. We would love to keep your beautiful artwork hanging in their home as decor, but I'll need to get a signed clearance agreement asap, in order for the piece to not have to be removed from the space before filming. If you could email me when you get this, I can send you a photo of the exact piece they purchased, along with our Art Clearance Agreement. Please let me know if you have any questions at all and thank you so much for your help! I look forward to hearing from you soon! Best, Melanie
-
-
Email
-
-
-
Sent on: 10 September, 2015
-
Thank you!
WEDNESDAY JULY 29th:
President Street
Brooklyn, New York
DELIVERY & INSTALLATION
ABSTRACTION
Acrylic on Mesh
26" x 62"
SUNDAY JULY 5th
Color Field / Landscape
40in x 40in
Acrylic on mesh
Flat white frame
DELIVERY & INSTALLATION
560 West 43rd Street
New York
TWO SUNDAYS
APRIL 12th and 19th
2015 SPRING BREAKOUT!
Anthony Amiewalan
THANK YOU!
Always on the lookout for objects, distinct and unusual, Anthony found a painting I made 25+ years ago. He noted it In his interior design blog, THE JUMPING-OFF POINT.
Anthony Amiewalan combs the metropolitan backscapes for objects and ideas to utilize for his interior design business. He shares these finds, along with his current projects, thoughts and commissions, in his blog, The Jumping-Off Point. Here's the link. (issue showing my painting)
DIANA MUI: A SPECIAL THANKS!
In the July 28th issue of SOA (The Sound of Art), Diana Mui notes my work and others as she sidewalks the Soho art scene.
When someone gives me an online nod
Cordially---I do likewise:
Diana Mui designs interiors.
Her spaces are sparse and smart
Given a commission---She'll delegate!
Her site:
SHANE GLOVER COMMISSION
COLOR FIELD / LANDSCAPE
50 in. x 62 in.
START DATE
10/10
finished 10/27
BASQUIAT
&
BRETSCHNEIDER
REMEMBERING JEAN
After posting the Jean Michel Basquiat drawing, I recieved several emails asking me "personal" questions about "the 80's scene".
Much of my energy 30 years ago was not focused. I was self absorbed and vainly directed. The decision to step off the New York bandwagon of the 80's--to clean up and reset priorities--
DEAR FRIENDS
It was the best thing i ever did!
Now:
I live today-- and plan for tomorrow.
In regards to "Remembering Jean Michel Basquiat",
I offer this 2010 posting:
When someone discovers I associated with New York's "Downtown" art/music scene of the 70's and 80's--- I'm asked, 'Did you know this person or that person?'
Their inquisitiveness is often driven by a book, movie, documentary, they read or watched.
BACK STORY: 20 years ago, the author Phoebe Hoban called me. She was writing a Basquiat biography and asked for my input. Her seriousness won me and I participated in a Q and A with her over the course of a week. Prior to this, I had been interviewed by a film-maker named Krzysztof who had envisioned a feature film on Jean and was seeking anecdotes. Krzysztof's movie was never produced, but I did hear rumor the material he collected and the first draft script he wrote was purchased by the artist Julian Schnabel, who used portions of it in his debut film "BASQUIAT", with Jeffrey Wright.
JEAN: AN ACUTELY ADJUSTED ANTENNA
Before uneasiness and drugs stole him, Jean's phenomenal rise in the art-world was an exciting thing to watch. Artistic acclaim is rare. Few emerge.
Mutual interest, youthful encounter, dark humor, and self medication, brought Jean and I together. Watching him rise as quickly as he did made an indelible impression on me, and it was a life lesson. The knowledge I garnered about art and the art world---it's machinations---surpass anything the best art schools could offer---
Now, 30 years later, Jean's life, work, and premature death, have become art mythology.
So when I'm asked about Jean, instead of retelling what I remember and risk distorting facts, I refer my anecdotes in Phoebe Hoban's book, "Basquiat, A Quick Killing in Art". Because she started writing it shortly after his death, my recollections were fresher then. By turning to that book, I'm assured my "interactions" and "perceptions" are consistant, never veering into whim and fancy.
In retrospect, I thank God for all the good (and bad!) that has happened to me. I've been given the gift of time and space...
not to die
--but to live
--to grow and mature!
I am not the same man represented 3 decades ago in this book.
I kiddingly say
--- I'm worse!
JEF BRETSCHNEIDER 2010