Friends, the summer of research has begun!

Tyrus Clutter

great beginnings

summer travel and study has begun

I have just returned from my initial travel and research for the L'Atelier de L'Amour project. Exhausting. Exciting. Invigorating. Productive. Important. Renewing. Just some of the words that sum this up. And that was only one week.

I spent a week in New York City and Washington DC. As the semester concluded I was setting up appointments with artists and archives to get my work started, but the trip provided much more than I could have anticipated. I'll share a little of that now.

back in the studio

After another full day at the archives at New York University, I returned to the old home studio of Krishna Reddy (his press shown below) to visit with his widow, Judy. She had called me right after the trip in February to let me know she had found a box full of prints by Krishna's first wife--Shirley Witebsky--who died in the mid-1960s. This was a treasure trove of works I had never seen, and have perhaps never been exhibited, mainly from Paris in the 1950s. One print (lower left) is the only one I know that is signed "Shirley Witebsky Reddy" even in the 60s prints were only signed "Shirley Witebsky." Judy and I also went through some of her own early Atelier 17 prints to find some pieces that I will eventually get for the exhibition (lower right).

Just as exciting was Judy's call the week before the trip when she told me she had just talked with the modern and contemporary print curator from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, who has been obtaining some of her and Krishna's works for their collection. Judy had told her about my research and she was very interested to talk with me. We have been in email contact but could not find a time to meet during this trip. But she did tell me she wants to chat about what I'm doing and assured me that the Met has some things I should take a look at. This is a great contact who will help my research process move forward.

other things shaping up

On another day I visited with the artist Adrienne Cullom and her daughter Alicia. They hosted me for a look at some of Adrienne's prints and plates, but even more of an exploration of her late husband Sergio Gonzalez-Tornero's work. The house was absolutely packed with his prints, plates, and paintings. I learned much about his evolving style through this brief three hour visit, followed by a most amazing lunch.

Below are some plates from some of Sergio's prints which I found out he often cannibalized; in later years he would cut out elements from earlier plates and reuse them in new configurations--in a sense, appropriating from his own imagery. This was such a great discovery. When Adrienne rushed me back to the train station so that I could make my next appointment (with friends who have a large collection of Fred Becker works) she told me she thought I should have one of Sergio's plates. She wasn't sure what I would want, but I told her that if she thought it was something she wanted to do that I would let her pick that out. What a beautiful and gracious offer. I'm humbled.

With both Adrienne and Judy I recognized that they often deferred to promoting the work of their husbands over their own. This seems somewhat indicative of this generation and emboldens me in this journey as I make sure these spouses are put on equal footing for their accomplishments. Just another reason this research and work is so timely and important.

unexpected joys

Amidst a very full and hectic schedule in New York and DC, I was able to connect with several friends over breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I ran into one friend, made through a mutual friend back in February, the first night in NYC, and we later had dinner and chatted. Another couple who I know from Massachusetts just happened to be in New York at the same time, so we had breakfast and caught up for a long overdue reunion.

In DC I met with two friends who I have known for over 20 years. One, Ed Knippers, actually worked at Atelier 17. We talked for hours and he regaled me with stories of his time there. I'll share more on that another time because that was a great highlight of the trip.

Below, you can see the evidence of my brief 90 minute visit to the Modern building of the National Gallery of Art (my only museum visit the whole week). Among the Calder, Giacometti, and Frankenthaler works, was an amazing show of Philip Guston's work (below, upper right). My friend Bruce Herman studied with him and it was great to analyze the works and see the influence that still comes through in Bruce's powerful paintings.

There was much more to this trip. I spent full days reading over letters and discovering new things about the relationships and interactions among the artists (and couples) of Atelier 17. And this is really just the beginning. I still have London and France to come later this summer. More contacts have been made that I will share in the future, too.

This is the main reason I am not closing this funding campaign. This project will be much bigger than one summer of research. I expect I will need to return to New York at least once more in the next couple years. Multiple times during this trip I have explained what I am doing and have been met with the same response: "This is amazing. This can't be just and exhibit and a catalogue, it needs to be a book to make sure this story is told properly. It is an important segment of the story of Modern Art that needs to be shared with the wider public."

A BIG THANK YOU to the more than 60 people who have already donated to this project. Several people have indicated that they still wanted to give, so this serves as both an update and a reminder that you STILL CAN. Thank you to everyone for your interest in this project and please share the project if you have not yet done so. It really does make a difference when you forward this to others because I am finding many people outside my inner circle who are intrigued by these stories. And those donations of even $17 (for Atelier 17) or $27 (for the 2027 centenary of its founding) really do add up. It all makes a difference in this work.

More to come... Tyrus

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