(1980) Volume 3, Number 4

              volume 3 number 4 summer 1980 new york 30 iviay - 2 jyne the heat was unbearable in new york mostly the humidi ty but the stopover was wee worth it not only to see picas so but also to attend the nevelson opening at the whitney just hours after i arrived it was a sterling event and nevel son looked young sophisticated and queenly the work spoke for itself although i preferred the black pieces so dramatically lit to the white or gold pieces luckily felipe ehrenberg and lourdes grobet were in town and by chance we met at franklin furnace to listen to david antin talking after that we saw alot of each other and i can announce that beau geste press will re surrect in mexico city very soon even got to meet an old school chum i haven't seen in over 20 years over drinks at the four seasons and then a performance by pauline oliveros at the kitchen the next day i explored as many galleries as i could before stopping off at mythology a delightful and charming shop which sells anything and everything from rubber stamps to kites and artists books as well it's at 370 columbus avenue there were many calif ornians in town and the word bicoastal was bandied around as a new-found word for those who seem to flit from coast to coast and never seem to nest for art is everywhere and one must get around to see it and to top it all off the picasso retrospective at the museum of modern art is truly worth the trip it is vastly important for it changes the mind of all those who wrote him off the past thirty years yes he was hiding the best the best of his genius the best of his whimsy the best of his fantasy and skill wouldn't you know that in the last room was a still life with umbrella to end it alll and that night the tv film on picasso a painter's diary was shown which further enhanced the image of the artist and the man in my eyes and rounded off the day with great awe and inspi ration that same day since i am a glutton for aesthetic punishment i saw 10 years work of the visual studies workshop at pratt's manhattan center which was inspi ring confirming the steady excellence of this marvelous institution in rochester new york thunderstorms lightning and then sunshine and humidi ty were all in store for me the last day in new york as well as the exhibit of oldenberg's crusoe umbrella models at castelli which were magnificently installed then off on the jfk subway to the airport and only relaxed when i stepped on the plane a census-taker asked questions about how i got to the airport why i took that flight etc it was to be an omen for the return flight as well geneva the air was crisp and fresh at 6:30 a.m the airport literally empty was inviting me out to a beautiful city the sun was warm no coat was needed in the old town there was the old church being restored lovely galleries antique shops and a sense of history with a carousel and bookstalls marika malacorda was packing for basle but greeted me warmly and showed jne the ben vau tier show which was also being packed partially for basle i even saw roller skaters on the streets of geneva and how small the world is from venice to geneva in one small stride a visit to ecart was the first important stop john arm leder director of this famous artists bookshop and pub lsihing house greeted me warmly and showed me how he was setting up the andy warhol show a group of books which came from the ecart archive tracing the whole his tory of warhol's books since he was coming to geneva on saturday i ambled down the aisles and saw the huge fluxus collection on the shelves but so much more every current magazine and book was there and the shop although only open afternoons was the meeting and greeting place of many artists in the community and to top it all off it is in the middle of this bustling and elegant town he is sharing a space with the centre d'art contemporain run by adelina von ftirstenbexg in a beautiful building owned by migros a very large diversified corporation in switzerland there at the centre they were preparing the warhol exhibition of joseph beuys prints and of the young italian artists who seemingly will follow me throughout the trip the issn 0160-0699