Comments on: Artist tussles with the zeitgeist–James Rosenquist’s new autobiography

By: Judith Stein

Judith Stein — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 03:23:48 +0000

In response to Matthew Rose’s question, yes, Rosenquist’s devastating studio fire was mentioned at the end of the book; it must have occurred as he was in the final edits. My bad for not referencing it. Rosenquist seems resilient in the face of many losses as he talks about the pain of losing good friends such as Bob Rauschenberg.

By: roberta

roberta — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:34:34 +0000

I heard about that fire–what a devastation! Here’s a link to a story. http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/fire/article995632.ece

By: Michael Kalmbach

Michael Kalmbach — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 01:34:08 +0000

As a young art student, I’ll never forget celebrating James Rosenquist’s 69th birthday at the Sugar Hill Bistro in Harlem. Mel Geary, who was friends with Rosenquist since their days in Minneapolis, built a studio outside of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania in the 1990s. My friendship with Mel was a critical part of my education at Bloomsburg University. I would sit with Mel for hours listening to stories about Max’s Kansas City, the Green Gallery, endless parties, and his friendship with Jim.
Stories about Rosenquist will undoubted remind me of my good friend and mentor, Mel Geary. I was so excited to meet Rosenquist the night of his 69th birthday party—for a young aspiring painter, meeting this canonized artist was a religious experience.
I look forward to reading Painting Below Zero, but I am forever grateful for the stories that I heard first hand from Mel. These stories, which are probably relegated to a foot note, changed my life.

By: MATTHEW ROSE

MATTHEW ROSE — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 01:13:28 +0000

James Rosenquist is everything you report, and I have no doubt the book is as he is: open and funny and real. I met him two years ago in Aripka to do a profile for Art & Antiques. He’d taken over a small penninsula about 50 miles north of Tampa. I truly enjoyed my day with him. Even the Thai/Chinese lunch we had, a place in a strip mall he frequents often. I contacted him recently and was told by his long-time assistant that his entire studio – resembling an airplane hangar for his giant canvases – had completely burned down. It was a terrible blow to him. The paintings were lost as well. She sent a dozen photos of the disaster. No one was hurt, thankfully, but I wonder if that story made it into the book. When I was there, the book was atop a pile of papers in manuscript form; all around were thousands of photocopies littering the floor and on every possible surface. So many pages, gorgeous pages, now lost. But I trust the artist, who in the 1950s scaled great heights in Times Square, will get back on the ladder and do it again. He’s a great guy and a wonderful asset to American art. Looking forward to reading the book.