FOR MISTER BLUM
by Dave Hickey
I would like a small clause written into my social contract that excused me from attending events at which Irving Blum is not in attendance. The pleasure of his company, the generosity of his eye, and the infectiousness of his enthusiasm are legendary, of course, but there is also the intoxicating pleasure of just of just floating on the laughter and flux of Irvingosity. I recently read an inadequate biography of Leo Castelli, and I was thinking that someone should write a biography of Irving as a pendant to that book. Then I realized that a book that dealt comprehensively with Irving’s life and influence would be many times longer than his life as it stands.
There would be millions works of art, million of remarks, stories, conversations, telephone calls, hand written notes and just plain money; There would be small gestures with large consequences. There would be tuxedos and hundreds of thousands of artists, collectors, bureaucrats, street creatures, lunches, dinners, breakfasts, even. There would be some fibs but very few lies; there would be some problematic choices but no mistakes. The book would gather the sheer historical impact of Irving’s progress, which would be immense but given the choice between reading that book and looking at Irving’s pictures in his presence, I would choose the party every time. RSVP.
Artists include
John Altoon, Charles Arnoldi, John Baldessari, Larry Bell, Karl Benjamin, Tony Berlant, Chris Burden, Bruce Conner, Jay Defeo, Richard Diebenkorn, Lorser Feitelson, Lynn Foulkes, Sam Francis, Craig Kauffman, Edward Kienhold, Frank Lobdell, Ed Moses, Bruce Nauman, Ken Price, Ed Ruscha and Wayne Thiebaud