Gavin Brown Enterprises.

Last week in NY, Gavin Brown had a huge art opening at his gallery in Greenwich Village called The living and the dead. Now if you follow the art world, Gavin Brown is a big deal. He's a young guy but he commands respect. He's done what few people can do in the art world - have a successful gallery!

When Gavin Brown has an art opening it's more like a block party for the young and beautiful and the who's who of New York. By comparison, I should say it's like a badger game complete with grilled burgers, hot dogs, beer and an after party. Now that's my kind of art opening! The streets are closed off and filled with people eating and drinking and walking the halls of an art gallery. I love it! What Gavin Brown has done is brought art back the masses in the form of a party. This is not Sotheby's or Christies, this is art focusing on new, as well as established, contemporary artist trying to make a name for themselves. Good for them!

Now mind you, this is contemporary art! Some of it I don't understand but who am I to say anything. For example: why is a broken window laying on the floor of a big room, a piece of art? - or a pile of rocks on a carpet sample? How about a wooden squirrel drinking coffee? Anyone? Anyone? I didn't think so.

Now I'm not being critical here. I love art and I love going to galleries but I'm just curious as to who or why someone would do that and call it art. I would love to talk to the artist and ask him or her a hundred questions about this. But what I think about is how an artist or an exhibit gets picked for a show. I like to envision the conversation in my head with the artist and the gallery owner going something like this; "Hi Mr. Brown. Thank you for seeing me. My exhibit is called "Trash!" It's amazing, and what I do is I go to a landfill and I gather up bags of trash and I throw it on the floor in no particular order . . . . . . . " After a long pause, the gallery owner screams with excitement and says, "Wow! That's incredible! Your so talented! Let's do it! Where have you trained?"

Van Gogh sold one painting in his lifetime for $25.00. Jackson Pollock drizzled paint in no particular order over a canvas. Andy Warhol painted over black & white photographs taken by someone else. So what the hell do I know?

I think I'll just have a hot dog and a beer and think about it for awhile.

Jim McCarthy