Letters to the Editor

2011-10-21T12:46:00.000-07:00

Could Antonio Canova predict the future?
When the Italian sculptor Antonio Canova (1757-1822) sculpted Venus Victrix, whose model was Pauline Bonaparte , Napoleon's youngest sister, could he predict the future in dealing with the breasts of women of our time, where the silicon has a large role? The statue, one of the biggest attractions in the Borghese Gallery in Rome, shows Pauline with perfect breasts, like those acquired only with silicon.

Venezia Biennale

2011-10-20T05:41:00.000-07:00

To see all of the Venice Biennale it takes days or even weeks. I was more than 4 hours there and I focused on the pavilions of several countries. As an artist I appreciate any creative mind. But I must confess that installations and videos are not my cup of tea, unless they contain a very strong message. I visited about 27 pavilions an picked my favorites. The Korean pavilion was one of the best. The " Pieta self-hatred" " In Between Buddha and Christ", created by the artist Lee Yongbaek, are magnificent. The Venezuelan pavilion was another of my favorites. It shows works by the artists Francisco Bassam , Clemencia Labin and Yoshi

MORE AT THE MAXXI

2011-10-19T06:33:00.000-07:00

Another major exhibition at the MAXX is "Highway to India." Several talented Indian artists are part of this magnificent exhibition. Impressive are the art presented by Valey Shende, Jitish Hallat, Sheela Gowda, Subud Gupta and others.

THE MAXXI MUSEU IN ROME

2011-10-19T06:20:00.001-07:00

The spectacular new Museum of Modern Art in Rome, MAXXI, (Museum of Art 21st century) is presenting two exhibitions of high caliber. The new architecture in China is really breath taking. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Here are some examples of the new architecture in China.
Foto 1 and 2, The Museu MAXXI

Subsequent photos, some of the new and stunning buildings in China

10 YEARS AGO!

2011-09-10T05:53:00.000-07:00

I was working, listening to the radio...( Mixed media construction) Series WTC!

DO THEY USE THE SAME SURGEON?

2011-03-04T07:28:00.000-08:00

Does Silvio Berlusconi uses the same face lift surgeon that Joan Rivers does?

ANSWERS TO PREVIOUS POSTS!

2011-03-04T07:16:00.000-08:00

What Mubarak, Marcos and Kadafi has in common?

With all the money they have, couldn't they get a hair stylist to do a better hair dye or a good surgeon to do a better face lift? Jet black hair can look good on Ann Miller but not on very old men.

ANSWERS TO PREVIOUS POSTS!

2011-03-04T06:54:00.000-08:00

WHO IS SHE?

She is Zsa Zsa Gabor a Hungarian American actress who was crowned Miss Hungary in 1936. She is not only famous for her colorful life but because she has been married nine times. She once declared that she was a good housekeeper because every time se divorced she kept the house

WHAT THEY HAVE IN COMMON?

2011-02-22T11:24:00.000-08:00

What Mubarak, the late Marcos and Kadafi have in common besides being dictators and " accumulating" loads of money?
The answer will be in my posts next week.

Who is she?

2011-02-21T06:25:00.000-08:00

Once she was one of the most glamorous celebrities. However she didn't scape the ravages of the time. Who is she?

ARRIVING AT THE JFK...a nightmare!

2007-04-20T05:53:00.000-07:00

So we came from Europe to JFK with our spirits high after a great vacation. The plane landed on time, and the nightmare begins. We had to stay for 45 minutes inside the plane on the tarmac waiting to disembark. Then that horrible long walk with some employees of the airport screaming at us that we should stay to the right. No rest rooms available during the long march.Then at the passport control, the scene reminds one of frantic people from a Republic Banana asking for exit visas to leave a country that just had a coup. Finally we had to face the carrousel and wait for luggage which were thrown by the baggage handlers like the commercial for Samsonite where a gorilla is pounding and throwing suitcases around. There is also the surprise that we have to pay $ 3 for a cart after having used free carts in all airports in Europe. And it is not over. We still have to face the slow ride through traffic to Manhattan." Forget the land of the free" and think the home of the brave!

AN EVENING WITH FARLEY GRANGER

2007-04-17T05:54:00.000-07:00

" An evening with Farley Granger" a one-night event celebrating the career of the actor Farley Granger, will take place on Monday, April 23 at the Film Forum at 8 PM. Best known for two key Hitchcock movies ( ROPE and STRANGERS ON A TRAIN) and Visconti´s SENSO, Granger will appear in person to discuss his 50-year career in movies, TV and theater with author/film historian Foster Hirsch and the actor´s longtime partner Robert Calhoun, co-author of Granger´s new memoir, Include Me Out: My life From Goldwyn to Broadway, published by St. Martin´ s Press.
Granger will discuss working with Hitchcock, Nicholas Ray, Viscounti, and Samuel Goldwyn; relationships with intimate friends like Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth, Patricia Neal, Shelley Winters, and composers Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland; and a career in movies, television and theater that has spanned seven decades.
Following the onstage discussion, Mr Granger will sign copies of his new book in the Film Forum lobby.

Who remember Craig Russell?

2007-04-16T12:39:00.000-07:00

He was a female impersonator. However he was very intelligent and his act was not a mere drag show. It was funny, outrageous, great. I remember seeing a show he did in a club near Bloomingdale´s. The opening was glorious. We sat in the dark waiting for the show to begin. Finally a voice announced :

“ Ladies and gentlemen…

Miss Barbra Streisand”.

Nothing happened.

Again the introduction. Nothing happens.

Then a urgent voice is heard whispering:

“ Miss Streisand…they are waiting for you”

The answer came sharp and clear

F…´EM!

BRANDO GAY?

2007-04-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

The big heterosexual myth of all times is about to crumble down. According to the recent biography of Darwin Porter , titled “ Brando Unzipped” the actor was an indefatigable and insatiable consquistador of women... and men. According to Porter, Brando slept with a lot of men such as Burt Lancaster, Laurence Olivier, Tyrone Power, James Dean and others. However the biography of Porter goes further. According to him the gay relationships of Marlon Brando were not mere casual sex encounters. Porter insists that his true love was the actor Wally Cox, with whom Marlon maintained a romance during his entire life, since their childhood when they met.

SANAE TAKAHATA, AN ORIGINAL!

2007-04-04T05:38:00.000-07:00

With an artistic career that spans New York, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Seattle and Paris; Sanae Takahata's artwork continues to be innovative, unpredictable and fresh. Self-taught and free from institutional constraints, her work grasps the subject matter with a natural feel of the world around her.Never fitting into a easy to label category, she strives to defy definition using diverse medium such as paint, clay, beads, glass and fabric. Her work has been called everything from German expressionist, fashionable. surreal and psychedelic. She likes to call it an outlet for her energized inspiration.
Check Sanae Takahata website :
http://www.sanaetakahata.jp

LIFE IMITATES ART

2007-03-14T11:32:00.000-07:00

Some years ago, when artist Hely Lima saw Ruth Mesinger campaign for Manhattan Borough President, he created a piece called Rent Strike and used the slogan “ Get rid of Ed, vote for Ruth instead” . Ruth Messinger saw the piece in a show at the John Szoke Gallery in Soho and acquired it. Later she run for Mayor of New York. In the photo, artist Hely Lima congratulates Hillary Rodham Cliton then First Lady and Ruth Messenger ( right) during a fund-raiser campaign for the Democratic Party.

HELY LIMA PORTRAIT AT JAPANESE ARTIST SHOW

2007-03-07T06:45:00.000-08:00

Some time ago, the Japaneze artist Sanae Takahata had one-woman show at a prestigious gallery in Tokyo. One of her paintings was a portrait of artist Hely Lima called Harmony. Sanae does psycological portraits. She interviews her subjects and constructs the work around her perception of the individual´s personality. Unlike Fried Kahlo, who drew inspiration from her own soul, Sanae Takahata draws inspiration from the perceived soul of others. Lima felt flattered by be painting by a peer whose works he greatly admires.

Photo: The show of Ms Takahata showing Harmony, the portrait of Hely Lima, the first from left

HELY LIMA PIECE SEEN IN POPULAR MOVIE

2007-03-04T06:12:00.000-08:00

The blockbuster film " A Night at the Museum" includes a scene in the hero´s ex-wife´s apartment, where a New York Construction by Hely Lima can be seen on the wall. This piece re-inforces the New Yor atmosphere of the film.

FEAR NO ART

2007-01-01T10:37:00.000-08:00

Most of my work is about everyday life in New York ...the odd juxtapositions the diversity of cultures that make this city unique. But when a major upheavel occurs, such as the attack on 9/11, everyone, including artists, is afeected and desires to express feelings so deep. That is why I did several pieces on the World Trade Center destruction. I knew that for a few years this event would be to raw and painful for most people to want to see a reminder. But I felt compelled to do this work and I knew of many historic precedents of art work inpired by unpleasant, even gruosome current events. Eventually the horror fades...but not the sense of emotional involvement. Recently the Museum of Modern Art in New York showed Manet' s graphic depction of the execution of Emperor Maximillian in Mexico. This painting conveys the artist strong reaction in a way thet still moves viewers.
I hope my Wdorld Trade Center pieces will eventually enable viewers to understand emotionally this frightening event.

I will be back soon

2006-10-19T17:31:00.000-07:00

Afte a few months off I will be back. Bigger , Better, Daring! Wait please!

I HAD A DREAM!

2006-07-28T07:45:00.000-07:00

I had a Dream that I was at the White House...
I woke up screaming!

SCANDALS ARE BETTER….

2006-07-28T07:43:00.000-07:00

Scandals are better when they come from an unspected source. A scandal from Paris Hilton or Britney Spears will be boring. But the recent scandal about the son of Brooke Astor…wow..it made the firt page of the New York Times.
Where is Kitty Kelly, dubbed the “poison pen” ? I miss her gossip! I hope she tackle s you know who…even dullness can be a scandal!

QUOTES

2006-07-28T07:39:00.000-07:00

"Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first." --Charles De Gaulle

" Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, But beautiful old people are works of art. " Eleanor Roosevelt

" I have always been on the side of the heretics against those who burned them because the heretics so often turned out to be right. . Dead, but right." Edward R. Murrow

The world is a dangerous place, not because of
those who do evil, but because of those who look
on and do nothing.
- Albert Einstein

IGNORANCE AND STUPIDITY!

2006-07-28T07:38:00.000-07:00

There is a big difference between ignorance and stupidity. My cleaning lady for instance: she is ignorant, but not stupid. Sometimes ignorance can cross the line and become stupidity. For example, I asked her why she did not become an American citizen which had certain advantages for her. She replied: “ Someone told me I would have to step on and spit on the flag of my country when I am sworn in as an American.”

IF I WERE GOD

2006-07-28T07:35:00.000-07:00

!

If I were God, if she exists, I would be very busy with all the afflictions of the world and I would say “ FY” to anyone who pray to me asking for:

1) an Oscar or an Emmy for their performance.
2) winning a football came
3) a winning lottery ticket
And the list go on and on… and on!

NEW REALITY SHOW!

2006-07-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

Bravo is putting a new reality show on the air. It is called Work Out… and deals with…working out at a gym. Give me a break! What will be the next one? A reality show about dog walkers?
Photo: Dog walkers by Hely Lima ( detail)

METROPOLITAN MUSEUM DISTANCE....

2006-07-17T05:34:00.000-07:00

In a country where the masses are in desperate need for knowledge, the cultural institutions distance themselves from the ones who need it most. The Metropolitan Museu of Art is raising the price of suggested admission to $20.00. It is preposterous considering that museums in Europe charge much less and some of them are totally free. How can somebody start to appreciate art if with $ 20.00 they can go to 2 movies?
No wonder the “ explosions” movies are proliferating in a large scale and the “survivals” shows on television are attracting more and more audiences.

ANTONIO GAUDÍ´S SAGRADA FAMILIA

2006-07-17T05:29:00.000-07:00

Temple of the Sacred Family

The construction of this unique Temple began in 1882, and one year later Antonio Gaudí was appointed Project Director. He worked on the project over 40 years until his death in 1926. The overall plan and his in-depth studies of the project, based on the use of innovative geometrical shapes of naturalist style, are the cornerstones on which the current archictetcs continue the work to this date.

AVE! AVA!

2006-06-16T06:36:00.000-07:00

Ava Gardner, who, like Truman Capote and Mary Astor kept a mental ledger rating men´s private parts, decided to shock Grace Kelly during the filming of " Mogambo" in Africa . Ava beckoned the future Serene Highness and lifted the loin cloth of one of the Watusi extras and said:" Have you ever seen one like this?"
Before Grace Kelly answered, Ava continued:" Frank is bigger" . Apparently Ava never met Porfirio Rubirosa, whose nickname was Pepper Mill.

DO NOT DRINK WATER DURING THIS PERFORMANCE

2006-06-16T06:35:00.000-07:00

What’s with that bottle of water? Apparently it started at the gyms. People who were a little bit lazy to walk to the water fountain preferred to buy water at the machine dispensers. Then, because the water is more expensive at the machines than at supermarkets, they decided to buy outside and carry them to the workout room . Now a lot of people are carrying a bottle of water ( mostly women) to every place they go no matter if it’s the dead of winter. Last year at a gala for the New York City Ballet, I saw a beautiful gowned woman carrying a bottle of water.She was ten feet from a bar where water was available.
The next thing we will hear, at a theatrical performance, is a reminder before the show starts saying: " Please, turn all your cell phones and beepers and do not drink water during this performance" .

THE DEVASTATING RAVAGES OF TIME

2006-06-06T12:33:00.000-07:00

She was considered once one of the sexiest beauties in the world.She drove men absolutely insane in person and in dreams.It was said that one of her former lovers would shower her estate with thousands of roses thrown from a helicopter during her birthday.Who could forget that great shot of her, lying nude across the whole cinemascope screen? " God created woman...But Roger Vadim created her", unself –concious and casually sensual...the first "sex-kitten". She is Brigitte Bardot widely known just by her initials BB.
In spite of her fame and glory, she tried to live a simple and normal life separating the Goddess of the screen from the simple her. She stopped making movies while she was still very famous and beautiful, to devote herself to the causes she believed in like the rights of animals. She auctioned her movie memorabilia and gave the whole proceeds ( millions) to her Animal Foundation.She never looked for artificial means to prolong her beauty. She was quoted as saying " When I was young and pretty I gave myself to men. Now I give to the animals what is left of me." However BB never stopped being beautiful.She didn’t escape the ravages of the time but she continues to be as beautiful as ever...in her soul.

QUOTES

2006-06-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

" If you don’t have anything good to say about anybody...come and sit next to me"
Alice Roosevelt

" If you have talent...watch out. Talent can give you troub le"
Elaine Stritch

"It isn't true that convicts live like animals: animals have more room to move around. "
Vargas Llosa

"Anybody can write a three-volume novel. It merely requires a complete ignorance of both life and literature"
Oscar Wilde

"The function of muscle is to pull and not to push, except in the case of the genitals and the tongue. "
Leonardo Da vinci

"There are some days when I think I'm going to die from an overdose of satisfaction. "
Salvador Dali

"What a delightful thing is the conversation of specialists! One understands absolutely nothing and it's charming."
Degas

HAS-BEEN WHO NEVER-WAS !

2006-05-16T08:03:00.000-07:00

Being a has-been is not bad. Most celebrities see their fame dimished, and, if they were not careful and well advised they also can run into financial difficulties. But there are also many has-been who never-was. I’ve met a lot of these: actors from small obscure theater companies, dancers, art critics from a mediocre neighborhood newspaper. There is nothing wrong with not achieve the utmost goal. But these never-weres come on so strong and are so self-centered that is irritating.

ART IS NOT MEANT FOR DECORATION!

2006-05-16T08:01:00.000-07:00

An artwork is not always about a beautiful subject. Artists usually create works about their surroundings and situations which touch them deeply. The Museum of Modern Art in New York will have this year a show about Manet’ s paintings of the execution of Maximilian, the emperor of Mexico who was a puppet of Napoleon III. Therefore art is not supposed to match the color scheme of a room or a couch. Many art lovers pile their precious possessions one in the top of the other without any concern for the surroundings. Art is not supposed to be only sweet.

DON' T BE A MOMMIE DEAREST!

2006-05-16T07:58:00.000-07:00

Let’s face it. It is proper and correct to be clean. But when cleanliness is excessive...it becomes an obsession.There are people that do not have even a live plant in their house because the thought of a dropping leaf would give them a panic attack. Joan Crawford and Marlene Dietrich were famous for their " crazy clean". It was said that Miss Crawford would make her suitors take their shoes to enter...her home. She herself kneeled down...to scrub the floors.
Marlene Dietrich would buy gallons of vinegar which, according to her, was the best cleanser. She would clean the bathrooms of the hotels with vinegar and even use it on herself. I wonder what her many men ( and women) thought of that smell...were they eating a salad dressing?
When I meet people so obsessed with cleanliness I call them " So-and- So Dearest".

THE SHARP TONGUE OF TRUMAN CAPOTE

2006-05-06T10:28:00.000-07:00

The movie " Capote" touched on only one aspect of the life of Truman Capote, when he was writing " In Cold Blood". The movie did hint at his
mean, sharp tongue. Whatever his remarks were…they were funny, even if often damaging. Here it is what he had to say about Jack Kennedy:
" What I do not understand is why everybody said that the Kennedys were so sexy. I know a lot about c….( explicit)- I've seen an awful lot of them- and if you put all the Kennedys together, you wouldn't have one good one. I used to see Jack when I was staying with Loel and Gloria Guiness in Palm Beach. I had a little guest cottage with its own private beach, and he would come down so he could swim in the nude. He had absolutely nuthing"
Well, I believe Truman. I used to see him at my old gym called " Profile" on East 49th Street. I never saw him working out…perhaps he was just doing " research"...

DAME LANA TURNER...

2006-05-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

Some years ago the , Town Hall in New York City presented a lecture series called Legendary Ladies of the Silver Screen
Those ladies were: Bette Davis , Joan Crawford, Sylvia Sidney, Myrna Loy and Lana Turner. The format consisted of movie clips and the the star would answer questions from the audience and the moderator.The ladies were all very discreet, despite some probing questions. For example, when Joan Crawford was asked if she knew the nickname for her ankle-strap shoes, she acknowledge that they were known as ( Come F... Me Shoes) Sylvia Sidney told the audience that in Japan, condons were once known as...Sylvia Sidneys. When Lana Turner was interviewd the audience waited for steamy revelations. However Miss Turner was maddenigly demure and lady-like.The audience was getting restive, hoping to see something more than the Vassar-girl persona Lana was trying to project. Finally, a question came:" If a movie of your life were to be made, who would you like to see play you?" Miss Turner immediately growled " She ain’t been born yet!" The audience cheered.

AN ELEGANT SUICIDE

2006-05-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

Does anybody remember Lupe Velez? She was called the " Mexican Spitfire" , a caricature that Hollywood still uses to boost sales tickets to Latin markets.
To tell the truth, I never saw a movie that Lupe Velez made . I studied movies and that’s why I know about all those obscure ladies. A funny-sad story is how Lupe Velez died. When a love affair went wrong, she decided to commit suicide. But she was going to exit like a star...beautifully dressed, coiffed and made- up. She had her butler serve her a " farewell" Mexican dinner...Then she took a fistfull of sleeping pills and lay down on her bed, surrounded by flowers, to die. Unfortunately, the pills and the Mexican dinner did not mix well..and she had to rush to the bathroom. Apparently she tripped and was found dead next day, drowned, with her head in the toilet.

WHAT A BITCH !

2006-04-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

I like to watch TV interviews. Writers, biographers…interesting people.
But I must confess that contemporary movie stars have a tendency to be overly sweet about their peers. It’s very common to hear them say that it was a pleasure to work with So and So when we all know that in any working environment, there is clash between co-workers ( especially in a creative field) . Some old stars like Bette Davis, unburdened by excessive PR advisors, were more honest and less diplomatic. When an enterviewer asked her how she felt about working with Miriam Hopkins, she lit a cigarette and said: " That was a bitch!" Asked about working with Errol Flynn...her answer was: " he was a very handsome man...but what a ham!" Celeste Holm who worked with Bette Davis in " All About Eve" complained how rude and crude Miss Davis was.
My favorite movie star "dish" was a comment supposedly made by Marlene Dietrich about Loretta Young, who was known as a devout catholic. Dietrich said: " If Loretta Young slept with a co-star during filming, she was so guilt-ridden, she gave money for a new church to be built. In Beverly Hills, there’s practically one on each corner"

THE COMEBACK OF SAL MONELLA !

2006-04-29T09:47:00.000-07:00

No, he is not an Italian movie star.
Just when we thought that was safe to make a meringue or " oeufs aux gelée", the New York Times published that Salmonella is making a comeback...oops a " return" like Norma Desmond of " Sunset Boulevard" said. What is safe to eat now? Who do we trust or believe? One day a drug is safe to take. Next day Ambien makes you sleepwalking and have a feast at the Ice box. For a few months the fad was low count carbohydrate bread. Now they have disappeared from the shelves. There is a proliferation of organic foods. From eggs to bananas, supermarkets are selling the label " organic" If an egg is organic...how can it be contaminated by salmonella since the chicken who laid it is also organic and fed with organic compounds? And with all this organic jazz, the prices go up and up!

BELIEVE IT OR NOT ( New section on this blog)

2006-04-29T09:42:00.000-07:00

I was at the cashier of Walgreens in Fort Lauderdale paying my bill when my cell phone rang.
The cashier stopped and started to dance at the ring tone of my Cingular...

The weather newscaster in Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands was called Aquanet Shimmery White.

TONY SOPRANO SINGING AND DANCING ?

2006-04-29T09:31:00.000-07:00

Yes. James Gandolfino who plays the mob boss in the very successful HBO series The Sopranos sings and dances in the movie " Romance and Cigarettes" , a delicious kind of musical directed by John Turturro and with a spetacular cast which includes, Mary Louise Parker, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Steve Buscemi, Elaine Stritch, Aida Turturro and Christopher Walken . A special preview was held at Film Forum in October of last year. Problems with distribution? Who knows! Film Industry is a funny business and everything is possible. Hope it will be released soon

FROM AVA GARDNER TO EINSTEIN !

2006-04-23T11:21:00.000-07:00

I must confess: I am a biograpoholic! My taste is eclectic. I am as content reading a biography of Frank Sinatra as reading the life of Abraham Lincoln. From Nancy Reagan to Evita Peron and to Zsa Zsa Gabor to Pablo Neruda. A new Ava Gardner biography is out and promises to be hot; which is not a surprise considering that she was a free- spirited woman. Sometimes I am skeptical about both autobiography and biography. In the first , I think that the author will not reveal all the dirt. In the second, maybe the author adds some dirt to push up the sales. Were Montgomery Clift and James Dean as wild as both biographies reveal ? Do wire hungers deserve to be forever identified with Miss Crawford?
Why is a biography of Albert Einstein interesting? For one thing, Einstein was a rebel and a poor student. He disliked the traditional teatching methods, preferring to explore and discover on his own. When his father asked the principal of his school what career his son should follow, the principal answered that it did not matter, because he would not be good at any. Such an irony! Sometimes we can treat a biography as fiction. My friend Herbert Zohn once wrote a letter to the New York Times asking when Nixon’s memoirs were published would the book be listed as fiction or non-fiction?

"Have you heard of the family Stein?
There’s Gert and Ep and Ein
Gert’s writing is bunk,
Ep’s sculpture is junk
And nobody undertands Ein"

RAIN ! The biggest Villain in Holywood !

2006-04-22T07:25:00.000-07:00

It was Hollywood which gave the rain a bad rap. How many countless movies were made where the rain is serving as a backdrop for a murder scene, an atack by a vampire, an aparitian of a ghost, a burglary etc. Fortunately some directors like Stanley Kubrick did a horror scene in " The Shining" in complete daylight. And how about the brilliant opening of Hitchcock' s " Frenzy"? Fortunately a great number of people have a very good feeling about the sooting effect of a rainy night and great childhood memories of a rainy day. I am one of those persons and in my art I did several works using the rain as a focal point.

Photo: Rain by Hely Lima

WRITING A BOOK IN AMERICA !

2006-04-22T07:24:00.000-07:00

Andy Wahol is quoted to say that everyone deserves to have fitteen minutes of fame. Writing a book in America is as tradicional as Thankgiving ou apple pie. Everyone wants to write a book, no matter if whatever they want to write about is enough to sustain the interest that a book demands. Just an episode in the life of the writer is not enough to generate the curiosity that the readers want. One of most precious stories about writing a book has to do with the collapsing of a crane in Times Square. The media was interviewing everybody around to get the details when a construction worker said that he witnessed the whole thing. When the reporters asked him to describe the accident, he replyed that unfortunatelly he could not do it because...
he was thinking about writing a book!

HATSHEPSUT, SHARON STONE AND HILLARY CLINTON:What do they have in common?

2006-04-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

The Metropolitan Museum of New York City is having a show about Hatshepsut the greatest female pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt. She ruled the world's mightest empire for 34 years.Hatshepsut had to fight her greatest nemeses, the priests of the God Amen who were determined not to end more than 3000 years of masculine tradition. In order to get to power Hutshepsut married her half brother, Thutmose II. They ruled together for 13 years. After his death, Hatshepsut announced that she was really a man. She started wearing a fake beard and men's clothing and changed her name to Hatshepsut, which is a male name. According to Shirley MacLaine 's reincarnation theory , maybe Marlene Dietrich was Hatshepsut in a previous life. During her reign, trade relations were re-established with western Asia and the Aegean Islands.Great shopping opportunities! The prosperity of that time can be seen through the sculptures, reliefs and personal items of jewelry and everyday objects.
Now, what is the link between Hatsepsut Sharon Stone and Hillary Clinton?One of the sculptures in the exhibition at the Met shows Hatshepsut seated crossing her legs like Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct. As for the link with Hillary Clinton…If 1479 BC, there was a powerful female ruler… Why can't Hillary Clinton be the next president of the United States?

60 YEARS OF THEATER MEMORIES...Confessions of a Not Too discriminating Theatergoer

2006-04-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

The first show I ever saw was Oklahoma’ I was l2 or l3 years old and took the subway from Brooklyn into Manhattan by myself, feeling very grown-up. I bought a mezzanine seat and eagerly awaited the start of the performance. The curtain went up, and I was stunned...with disappointment. In all the movies I had seen, Broadway shows had acres of shiny floors and huge, lifelike sets. Here was a plain wooden floor and a painted backdrop. Within 30 seconds, I completely accepted what was in front of me as glorious reality and loved every second. I was particularly thrilled when the entire cast came to edge of the stage and sang the title song.
The next show I saw was Finian’s Rainbow, and I adored it. Years later, I had the great pleasure of getting to know the composer, Burton Lane and his brilliant, outspoken wife, Lynn.
Many years later, I was working as a copywriter for the man who really founded AARP, as a vehicle to sell group health insurance. He was a brilliant businessman, but a true vulgarian. He sent a contribution to Gore Vidal’s congressional campaign...and decided that gave him to right to send a lengthy critique of Vidal’s play “The Best Man”. Not surprisingly, Mr. Vidal was not amused and let his feelings be known.
By now, my boss has gotten Broadway fever and began forming a producing company. I arranged for him to speak to a friend of mine who was a company manager and wanted to be a producer. Boss-man rejected my pal, Mort Gottlieb....probably because a recommendation from an employee of his carried no clout. Mort met a wealthy lady from Denver and went on to a wildly successful producing career.
Now Boss-man set up an elaborate office and hired staff. He produced an Off-Broadway show called “Hey You, Lightman” which folded quickly. His interest in Broadway waned, and he decided to make a movie. His company films, in England, a gentle story of a young boy whose uncle is the same age he is. In order to show the film, he has to rent an art cinema on 58th Street at great expense. After a few weeks, he threw in the towel. He disbanded the office and gave his assistant the only script in any real stage of development. The assistant produced this film...”Georgy Girl,” a tremendous success.
Back to my theatergoing. I have seen hundreds of shows and remember most. Even bad ones usually provide me with some pleasant memory. I only remember walking out of a show in the middle once.
That was in London...and was a treacly musical about the Brownings, entitled I think “Robert and Elizabeth”.
Ï will close by telling an experience I had at an off-Broadway show. As I sat waiting for the show to begin, I saw that a patron in the first row put his program on the stage. I was shocked and incensed...because I suddenly realized that the stage is a sacred space...like an altar...and it certainly is not respectful to use it as a place to put down a Corvette’s shopping bag...or whatever!
Herbert Zohn

ART=CONTROVERSY=BIENNIALS

2006-04-15T05:06:00.000-07:00

Art and controversy were, are and always will be part of each other. Since the pre-historic times, thirty five thousand years ago, there was probably some controversy when the cave men were drawing on the walls of their habitat. Controversy is part of the development of art and prevents stagnation. In 1860, The Salon des Refusés (Salon of the Rejected) in Paris generated one of the biggest changes in the art field and brought to light such painters as Manet, Latour, Cezanne, Guillaumin Pisarro and others because they were refused by the Salon de Paris, the official exhibition sponsored by the Académie des Beaux-arts.Controversy created a long list of art movements: Constructivism, Fauvism, Expressionism Arte Povera, Conceptual Art to name a few, and more recently, video art.So it is not surprising the Biennials always come surrounded by controversy. The Whitney Museum in New York City has its Biennial going right now and with it comes a load of controversy
Photo: Drawings done by cave men thirty five thousand years ago.

GETTING OLD IS NOT FOR SISSIES!

2006-04-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

Paul Newman is quoted as saying that Bette Davis originated this phrase:” Getting old is not for sissies.” We do have a tendency to get startled when we see a movie star of the past make an appearance! They look so old!... why should we be surprised? Old age is a process very difficult to accept. We dye our hair, work-out our buns to keep the body going...but eventually we get old and “ buy the big casino“ . It’s the life process. Ms Davis was right...”getting old is not for sissies”.

A MAN EATEN BY A CROCODILE!

2006-04-12T08:09:00.000-07:00

I have a habit: the first thing I look at in the New York Times every morning is the obituary page. I want to see men who died over 50 and the causes of death. I skip the ones who die over 80 and up, and I focus on men of my age. I want to figure out how much time I have left. Usually heart attack and cancer are the culprits with some occasional not-so common diseases. If I see a death of a 30-and-up man...I figure that he was a victim of an accident or drug overdose even before I read the obituary. Years ago most of men who died at this age were victim of Aids. However this week I saw an unusual cause of death: a man was eaten by a crocodile while on an organized safari in Botswana( Africa). The Times did not give too many details of how a man on an organized safari could be eaten by a crocodile. Was he pulled out of a canoe? Was he trailing his arm in the water? I read an article some time ago that crocodiles used to be fearful of men, but now, due to the way the hunters approach them for their skin , they become very aggressive and can attack. This makes me think twice if I ever visit the Everglades in Florida again.

A DETACHABLE PENIS:Peggy Guggenheim solution!

2006-04-08T08:14:00.000-07:00

Everyone in the art field knows that Peggy Guggenheim was a doyenne of modern art from the 1920 till her death. While in Paris Gertrude Stein was amassing a substantial collection which included names such as Picasso, Cezanne and others , Peggy was founding The Guggenheim Jeune Gallery in London and buying works by Picabia, Braque, Dali Mondrian and many artists of that time. She bought the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, in Venice and in 1949, beginning with an exhibition of sculptures in the garden , she opened her collection to the public.
However, Peggy started to have problems with a sculpture right at the entrance of the museum , by the famous artist Marino Marini. The puritans visitors objected to the sculpture of a man naked on a horse showing an erection. What to do about it? She would not compromise her art integrity nor that of the sculptor by removing the sculpture from the public view. Then she had an idea:
A detachable penis, which would be removed every time some puritans would visit her museum. We are talking about the 50‘s . I don’t know if the practice of severing the statue still is in practice today.

FOLLOW THE FLAMES: A User's Guide to Old Movies

2006-04-03T05:55:00.000-07:00

I enjoy seeing old movies, particularly on TCM, where there are no commercials. I confess I remember many of these 50s (and even 40s) flicks from their original runs. It adds to their interest to see which actors and situations are still compelling...and which are laughable. Often compelling and laughable somehow are combined. The flame I refer to in 30s, 40s and 50s movies is, of course, cigarette smoking. While everyone is familiar with stars like Bette Davis using cigarettes as tools of passion, neurosis, anxiety or camaraderie...my favorite use of cigarettes is as an immediate identifier of villainy or evil. And nobody smoked with greater evil than Nazis in l940s movies. Their specialty was holding the cigarette in some peculiar way.. very deliberate and threatening...not in the casual, off-hand manner of Robert Mitchum or the eccentric manner of Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard. Do you suppose Gestapo headquarters offered a course in Nazi-style smoking?

Herbert Zohn

WHO WAS THE WICKED ONE? Herodias or Salome?

2006-03-31T12:38:00.000-08:00

If we talk about wicked women portrayed in art, painting , opera or movies, the Bible offers a bonanza of them. Who asked for the head of John the Baptist? Herodias or Salome? In the Hollywood version, Salome (played by Rita Hayworth who played two wicked women before: Gilda and Carmen ) didn’t ask for the head of John . It was her mother Herodias portrayed by Judith Anderson ( who played the wicked Mrs Danvers in Hitchcock’s “Rebecca”). We should not forget about another gore-obsessed lady, Judith , who was immortalized in canvas by the female artist Arthemisia Gentileschi who did many versions of this subject. What would Freud say? We also should not forget about the temptress Delilah ( played in the movies by Hedy Lamarr) who just decided that Samson would look better with a crew cut. Delilah was immortalized also by several artists. Leaving the Bible and moving to the Roman Empire, Livia, wife of Emperor Augustus is a tough act to follow, except for Messalina painted by Gustave Moreau, Aubrey Beardsley and Henrique Bernadelli. During the Renaissance Lucrecia Borgia was high on the wicked hit parade and inspired many painters. I don’t think that in modern times Evita Peron or the Duchess of Windsor was immortalized by a great artist. Sorry ladies, you don’t make the list.
Painting: Salome by Caravaggio

A LETTER FROM AUSTRALIA

2006-03-29T06:28:00.000-08:00

Many thanks for the link to your interesting blog. Iwill keep reading it. What you say about art in America is very true for my country, Australia, also. As an Australian artist born in very poor circumstances, even though I do have a good universtiy degree, I find it very hard, or impossible to find a place in art world here, where everything is based on snob value, and class....and certainly not talent. Even though while I lived in London, England, I both exhibited and taught art in one of the best adult colleges, and even mixed with the aristocracy. I knew that upon my return to Australia, that owing to the class system here, there would be nothing for me in my own country. This turned out to be true. How do working class (and below) artists fare in America? Is thier lot any better? Or it is the same misguided class system here in Australia that rules the art scene there? The one that believes that only the wealthy and powerful can appreciate art? A view that is based on false ideas of what they think happens in the class system in England. The class systems to which all snobs ultimately aspire. I could not help notice what you say about your cleaning lady. This seems to be a self fulfilling expection of those who are denyed a good education ,or exposure to good art because of thier class. I notice that this lack of awareness in Australia andAmerica extends to Science as well....all coming from the same dismantling of education. But keep up and the good work, and keep thinking Helen
Helen Duley

SELF CENSORSHIP

2006-03-27T08:38:00.000-08:00

Are we going back to the time of covering the genitals of a statue with a fig leaf, afraid of offend the prudes and puritans? Are we living in a state of fear afraid of creating an art which can be seen as offensive? In the last few years we have seen the climbing of the self censorship which sometimes comes in the shape of boycotts and which can lead to open censorship. Some time ago the Brooklyn Museum was threatened by the then administration of the city for exhibiting “Sensation” an avan-garde British show.” Boycott the Brooklyn Museum!” cried the puritans and conservatives. Mapplethorpe was threatened by the National Endowment for the Arts for depicting nude photos of men and women sometimes engaged into sex. More recently a theater in New York City withdrew a play named “My Name is Rachel Corrie” afraid of people who were already making threats to boycott it. This attitude curbs the creativity of an artist and leads to stagnation. If one don’t like provocative art, do not go to see it, but a call for a boycott is taking away the rights of others who appreciate freedom of expression. Remember how many artists suffered the consequences of self censorship in countries like Spain, Portugal and Russia. How many talents could not unleash their creativity, afraid of reprisals and even jail. Luckily Max Ernst ( 1891/1976) the dadaist and surrealist artist , escaped the latest attacks on art when he created “The Blessed Virgin Chastises the Infant Jesus... illustrated at the left.

THE VICE AMERICA NEEDS MOST ( and I don't mean Cheney)

2006-03-22T06:38:00.000-08:00

Snobbism is commonly considered a vice, but I believe that America could sure use a healthy dose these days. The Yahoos ...cultural, political and social..have been ruling the roost for the last few years, with disastrous results. Americans have always been phobic about admitting class distinctions exist in our country, not understanding that the difference between the U.S. and the öld world” is that one can more easily change class here, move up or down according to one’s education, deportment and yes, of course, income. It used to be that lower and lower middle class people observed and tried to emulate upper-middle and upper class people. No longer is this true.
Take the style of dressing one observes, for example. Well-bought up people know and enjoy that there are many, many gradations between the two poles of casual and formal. This distinction is lost on the masses today. For example, Richard Nixon walking on the beach in a dark suit, white shirt and tie is a bit ludicrous...but so are the hordes of people who board airplanes in shorts, the ubiquitous T-shirts and flip-flops. This is expected from lower-class people, but not acceptable from educated persons, or from college students (at least those attending real colleges, where the college president is paid more than the football coach).
Other areas of triumph for the lower classes are spoken English, where supposedly educated folk say “like” and “you know” every five seconds....and tattoos, now seen almost as frequently on women as on men.
One possible solution: a television show hosted by a qualified snob. Each week our urbane and madly superior host or hostess will highlight some new outrage by overpaid, oversexed underclass idiot pop stars, athletes or attention-loving fools. The fear of snobs may account for many Americans dislike of the French, who have not completely abandoned respect for proper behavior.
Vive les snobs! Long live the snobs!
Herbert Zohn

I ATE A DOG BISCUIT !

2006-03-19T14:44:00.000-08:00

Animals have rights too and since they don’t have a voice...we have to speak out for them. The great actress Brigitte Bardot said once: “When I was young I gave my youth and beauty to men. Now I give to the animals what is left of me”. She is very active in animal causes as are Doris Day, Betty White and Calvin Trillin .
Pets give us unconditional love in exchange for what: three walks a day and a meal usually made of horrible and tasteless food. No human food come slightly close to what is sold for dogs...except rice cakes. I can tell. I ate a dog biscuit! They taste like ground paper with an off flavor. When I can, I bake my own dog biscuit which recipe I want to share:
1 cup of flower
1 egg
2 tablespoons of minced parsley ( prevents bad breath)
3 tablespoons of milk
Mix everything to make a very stiff dough, pat it down to about 1/2 inch, cut it in squares about 1 1/2 x 2 l/12 inches and bake for 12 minutes in a 450 oven.
Photo: Coco

Picasso and my cleaning lady

2006-03-19T08:13:00.000-08:00

I love my cleaning lady.She is not a stupid woman, but her education did not go beyond the fourth grade. One day she brought me beautiful book called "Picass and his Women". She told me she found it in the garbage and thought that since I was an artist, I would like to have it. She did not have a clue about who Picasso was. She stayed by my side while I went through the book, looking at the portraits of Dora Maar, Marie Thèrése, Maia and others. She would ask..."that is a portrait of a woman? One eye and the nose in the place of the mouth? "I tried to explain that Picasso was one of the greatest artists of the last century and that his work worth millions of dollars. I told her that I could give her a poster of Picasso as thanks for that book. She said: "no thanks, I would not hang this in my house at all. A woman with just one eye and a nose in place of the mouth...no thanks."
Other remarks followed by the cleaning lady when she was going to my art books.Venus de Milo for her became a handicapped lady and the Winged Victory a headless woman.

The Bitch who hit the Beach

2006-03-04T10:52:00.000-08:00

The great photographer Cartier Bresson once said that a photographer never should leave the house without a camera. He was absolutely right. I am not a professional photographer, but I take a lot of photos as reference for my work. I lost a lot of opportunities to photograph interesting things because I didn't have my camera with me. Once I saw a beautiful pheasant in Central Park, in New York City. Also, a man carrying a huge cross on his back a la Jesus Christ in Fort Lauderdale and counteless interesting scenes which could make great photos. Then I started to carry my camera all the times. When I arrived in Fort Lauderdale after Hurricane Wilma the first thing I saw was a Shell gas station which lost the S and become "hell". That was a true sommation of Fort Lauderdale after it was hit by the hurricane.

Travel

2006-02-28T10:40:00.000-08:00

Which is the most beautiful city in the world? There is no such thing. Each city has a beauty of its own. While New York is considered beautiful for its grandiosity and gigantism, Rio de Janeiro is acclaimed for its natural beauty, Paris for its well designed boulevards and huge squares, Rome for its eternal city quality.
Left photo: Roma, near Spanish Steps Right photo: Rio de Janeiro

Great Thrills

2006-02-28T10:18:00.000-08:00

One of the great thrill of my career was arriving in Paris for my first solo exhibition. As the taxi entered the main stream of the city, I saw a poster announcing my show. Then another and
another. The closer we got to the gallery, the posters proliferated and reality set in. I was showing in Paris! The French treat an artist with great respect and dignity.
Paris is for painters what Vienna is for musicians. One has to be there to get the seal of approval. I went back to Paris many times, but never got that thrill of my first time exhibiting there.

Hurray for Karen Cooper, director of Film Forum

Film Forum was founded by two young cineastes in 1970 with a $2000 investment, a tiny 16mm Bell& Howell projector and a rented loft space on West 88th Street. with 50 folding chairs, one projector and a $19,000 annual budget. Karen Cooper became director in 1972 and under her leadership, Film Forum moved downtown to the Vandam Theater in 1975. In 1980, Cooper led the construction of a twin cinema on Watts Street. Finally, in 1989, when the Watts Street cinema was demolished by developers, Film Forum’s current Houston Street cinema was built. Today, Film Forum is a 3-screen cinema open 365 days a year, with 275,000 annual admissions, 462 seats, 55 employees, 4600 members and a nearly $4 million operating budget.
We present two distinct, complementary film programs .Would be great if we had more Karen Cooper all over the country. I am happy to be a member of that organization which has give us so many precious art movies from the past and the present.

“Raising a joyful hell in a small space”

Founded in 1996 by three of New York’s most acclaimed downtown theater artists-director Jim Simpson, designer Kyle Chepulis and playwright Mac Wellman- the award-winning Flea Theater was originally formed out of the purely artistic impulse to create a “joyful hell in a small space”. Brash energetic, and dedicated, Flea Theater become a downtown beacon for creative artists of every discipline, and for audiences seeking bold and inventive work

Pet Peeves

2006-02-22T12:18:00.001-08:00

Bladder Blather

In most big cities in the world there are plenty of public rest room facilities, except in New York City. If nature calls it is better to be near a department store, a hotel or an open construction site. Do not attempt to go into a restaurant because right on the door there is a big sign "For Patrons Only". I met countless tourists who asked me directions not to the Statue of Liberty or The Empire State building but for a toilet. Men of course.
In the past there were paid rest rooms on the subways stations and in certain coffee shops. However somebody in the administration of the city decided that charging for such necessity was illegal and now they are gone. Sometime ago a man was arrested for peeing in Central Park.What else he could do? There is a lot of talking about installing the much-needed facilities but bureaucracy stands in the way.

Irritating questions to an artist

One of the most irritating questions which somebody can ask an artist is "how long it takes to do that work" Art is not measured by the lengh of time of the creation. That questions belongs to the same category of people who wants to buy an art work to fit the color and size of the couch or those who wants to buy yards of books in different colors to decorate a room.

Humility

There is something noble about saying "I don't know". However some people would rather die than acknowledge that they don't know. My grandefather used to say that the learning process does not end with a dipoloma, but in the grave. Everybody is entitled to an opinion, but it should be based on the knowledge of the subject that one is talking about. Dr. Benjamin Zohn, father of my friend Herb, used to say: "They don't know and they don't know that they don't know". Very true indeed. I met several people that are "expert" in just about everything: art, science, architecture , any profession. The worst are the ones ëxpert "in medicine. They even precribe medications...
It is not a shame to say Ï don't know and then ask"can you tell me something about it? "

Collaborator

2006-02-22T11:14:00.000-08:00

I invited my friend Herbert Zohn to collaborate on this blog. He is not only my best friend but also my manager and financial advisor. He was founder and co-chair of the organization that erected a statue of Eleanor Roosevelt at
the entrance to Riverside Park. This project also rebuilt a great portion of the park whcih was dilapidated by years of neglect. For ten years he worked hard on this project, removing patiently, one by one, all the stones in his way. Herbert also once owned a gallery in which I had several shows. He encouraged me to stay in this country, and our relationship has lasted more than 25 years so far. Herbert graduated from Yale University in l954 and has worked on other civic projects over the years.

Photo: Hillary Rodham Clinton, honorary co-chair talks with Herbert Zohn about the project.

Part of the article published by New York Times Magazine on October 5, 1996

"The idea was born in March 1986 as Herbert Zohn, a retired art dealer and the other co-chairman was walking along Riverside Drive near 72 street where he lives. That part of the park was in shabby condition, and he thought it would be a wonderful idea to refurbish it with a statue of Mrs. Roosevelt, whom he had long admired, as its centerpiece.
It took 10 years, but the statue ultimaly paid for removing an unused entrance to the Henry Hudson Parkway ( itself a major New Deal poublic work), the city did landscaping and other improvements and more than 2,000 donnors gave money for the statue. The total cost was $1.3 million"

Letters to the Editor

Dictionary

Venezia Biennale

MORE AT THE MAXXI

THE MAXXI MUSEU IN ROME

10 YEARS AGO!

DO THEY USE THE SAME SURGEON?

ANSWERS TO PREVIOUS POSTS!

ANSWERS TO PREVIOUS POSTS!

WHAT THEY HAVE IN COMMON?

Who is she?

ARRIVING AT THE JFK...a nightmare!

AN EVENING WITH FARLEY GRANGER

Who remember Craig Russell?

BRANDO GAY?

SANAE TAKAHATA, AN ORIGINAL!

LIFE IMITATES ART

HELY LIMA PORTRAIT AT JAPANESE ARTIST SHOW

HELY LIMA PIECE SEEN IN POPULAR MOVIE

FEAR NO ART

I will be back soon

I HAD A DREAM!

SCANDALS ARE BETTER….

QUOTES

IGNORANCE AND STUPIDITY!

IF I WERE GOD

NEW REALITY SHOW!

METROPOLITAN MUSEUM DISTANCE....

ANTONIO GAUDÍ´S SAGRADA FAMILIA

AVE! AVA!

DO NOT DRINK WATER DURING THIS PERFORMANCE

THE DEVASTATING RAVAGES OF TIME

QUOTES

HAS-BEEN WHO NEVER-WAS !

ART IS NOT MEANT FOR DECORATION!

DON' T BE A MOMMIE DEAREST!

THE SHARP TONGUE OF TRUMAN CAPOTE

DAME LANA TURNER...

AN ELEGANT SUICIDE

WHAT A BITCH !

THE COMEBACK OF SAL MONELLA !

BELIEVE IT OR NOT ( New section on this blog)

TONY SOPRANO SINGING AND DANCING ?

FROM AVA GARDNER TO EINSTEIN !

RAIN ! The biggest Villain in Holywood !

WRITING A BOOK IN AMERICA !

HATSHEPSUT, SHARON STONE AND HILLARY CLINTON:What do they have in common?

60 YEARS OF THEATER MEMORIES...Confessions of a Not Too discriminating Theatergoer

ART=CONTROVERSY=BIENNIALS

GETTING OLD IS NOT FOR SISSIES!

A MAN EATEN BY A CROCODILE!

A DETACHABLE PENIS:Peggy Guggenheim solution!

FOLLOW THE FLAMES: A User's Guide to Old Movies

WHO WAS THE WICKED ONE? Herodias or Salome?

A LETTER FROM AUSTRALIA

SELF CENSORSHIP

THE VICE AMERICA NEEDS MOST ( and I don't mean Cheney)

I ATE A DOG BISCUIT !

Picasso and my cleaning lady

The Bitch who hit the Beach

Travel

Great Thrills

Pet Peeves

Collaborator