STEFANO and Julian Eastman NYC and Denver

Teri Toye behind STEFANO 1983

Patrick Fox 

Recently  I was contacted by Patrick Fox a friend from my days in NYC, an art dealer, brilliant curator, writer, activist who worked in the field of historic preservation, and recently a member of Nan Goldin’s group P.AI.N. (Prescription Addiction Intervention Now) He has been a private art dealer/consultant for over three decades.

Patrick Fox and Robert Hawkins

Our introduction was by artist Robert Hawkins his gallery, the Patrick Fox Gallery in the early 1980’s was hot and he was a NoHo treasure…gosh thats 40 years now.

The Fox Gallery mounted two exhibitions by the street artist known as  STEFANO (Stefano Castronovo). He had painted a number of murals in lower Manhattan and Patrick hunted him down to see if he would be interested in making paintings to exhibit.  Fortunately, he was game and hey did a number of exhibitions at the gallery  The first Stefano exhibit featured large paintings variations of the Mona Lisa (La Gioconda) in the main exhibition space.  

Stephen Sprouse

Stephen Sprouse

The Tin Room had Stephen Sprouse leather jackets on crucifix shaped tree branches on which Stefano painted political, pop and cultural icons - Andy Warhol, Elvis, Darth Vader, Jesus, Marilyn, etc..  The show was a sensation.  The art world took notice when it was reviewed by Glenn O’Brien in Artforum, and the show received international press. From London to Tokyo.  More bombast was expected for the second STEFANO exhibition the following year, but STEFANO'S approach was quieter, more reverential and self reflective. For this exhibition was an elaborate collaboration with musician Julius Eastman was a surprise to everyone including the gallerist who understood the importance of full artistic freedoms  The gallery was transformed this time into something resembling a Franciscan Munk’s Musical Chanting Order.  The austere work was created on site with Julius living at the gallery for over a week while he and STEFANO painted a musical scroll the length of the gallery wall - the piece measured 42” X36’ long.   When completed, the paper piece looked like an oversized medieval abstract illuminated manuscript - scroll.  Stefano also painted a thunderous sky in the Tin Room on which Mr. Eastman painted more of his music.  Patrick recently commented, ”that show had one thing for sale; an impossibly long very white piece of paper.  As beautiful as it was, there wasn’t a collector at that time who was comfortable taking it on.”   

STEFANO

Those in Denver might recall the Mona Lisa on the side of a two story building, back then the Lynne Ida Gallery on 15th street and Platte. Fading some, Its remarkable the painting still still looks great today. Back in 1983 in Denver it was dayglow ! Corresponding with an exhibition at Lynne’s gallery.  One of the large paintings in the show was a fixture in Cliff Trubowitz’s  wonderful restaurant Bump and Grind  that had the infamous drag queen Sunday brunch. See attached.

  

Patrick asked me if i had a any documentation of his exhibition in NYC in the early 1980s.  Felt I might.  Off i went into a big OCD looking.. Forty years… its always a head trip to go back…photos release memories. Makes my head spin … I have many portraits with Stefano and work.. This “Tin Room" I have a remarkable portrait time capsule,  Salons of sorts were always there, I would race down to after work often finding Patrick and Teri Toye, Rene Ricard holding court in a breath takingly beautiful 18th century skylit room .. the Tin Room. 

 I had no memory of Julius Eastman who was a friend of STEFANO’s and was only introduced to Patrick when he arrived at the gallery to begin painting the scroll and where he stayed for the next ten days. Unbeknown to Patrick until a curator at MoMA approached him with the old invitation postcard from the Stefano Castronovo Julius Eastman exhibition and explained the renewed interest by a younger generation in all things Julius Eastman.  ’Stefano never explained to me who this man was.  I knew that he posed for ”The Man Who Heard Everything’ which was exhibited in the first exhibitions w the Mona Lisa’s.  So of course it was a surprise to me that Julius has been receiving major recognition in Europe and the US since his death.  The Julian Eastman story is a great romantic, tragedy..a rise and fall, a tale of the times for many of artist friends in Downtown NYC, the brilliance and genius at the fin de siecle.  His remarkable story. I now obsessed with his music ..a very early “ Sampler “  … https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Eastman (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Eastman)

Julius Eastman

With GREAT excitement I discovered I have several portraits of Julius! And those in and around his presence there,   Robert Hawkins, Teri Toye, Edit DeAk, Mette Madsen, Cookie Muller, Nan Golden, Rene Ricard, Jean Michel, Taylor Mead , Keith Haring, Bill Rice. EK.  Later chapters are Stephen Sprouse Eric Goode, DAZE,.. and many others.....in fact several hundred others Polaroids all from that magical Tin Room... Like many my age a memoir is in the works and I am focusing just on this Tinroom… a very special moment in contemporary art history. On a side note I am courting a home for these Polaroids. The winds are blowing to the Library of Congress and History Colorado.

#thatwhichisfundamental #juliuseastman #patrickfoxgallery #patrickfox  #roberthawkins #renericard #taylormead #EditDeAk   #CookieMuller  #NanGolden  #56bleecker