David Byrne Edition to Benefit Creative Time
| 14"x11" ($100)
Important note: There is a limit of one print per collector for this edition. We reserve the right to cancel completed orders if we determine that someone has ordered more than one.
_________________
As I've often opined here, elsewhere and aloud (nearly every day!) I really, really, really love New York. I love it for its 24-hour-deli-ness, its international-ity, its art, its bookstores, its pedestrian- (and increasingly cycle-!) friendliness, and its best-of-everything-ness. But ultimately why I really, really, really (really!) love New York comes down to one thing: its people.
Today's edition-maker--David Byrne--and the people behind the organization which its proceeds will benefit--Creative Time--embody and epitomize exactly what makes New Yorkers so lovable. They are not just living in this city, they are part of it--they don't just talk about its public space--they're embracing it, bettering it, and are visible parts of the city's fabric. For all of these reasons, both have been very high on my wishlist of collaborators for 20x200, so it's quite an honor to introduce today's incredible edition: The Roots of War in Popular Song (forest of no return), a print based on an original piece from Byrne's Tree Drawing series (courtesy of Pace/MacGill Gallery).
The Tree Drawings are particularly resonant--no artist myself, I find my creative comfort in words (as evidenced in the abundance of text-based works in our archives) and have been an inveterate connector of the unlikely and the disparate since childhood. With on-the-surface simplicity and humble source materials--"straight from the sketchbook," he writes in his statement--Byrne's sketches reveal an enviable breadth of knowledge, wit and humility, all in the pursuit of making sense of the often nonsensical.
It's no surprise that Byrne's drawings sometime border on the Byzantine. What makes him so interesting is how interested he is; what makes him remarkable is how generous he is about sharing his experiences and insights. If asked to recommend a single blog, his would be the one I'd point people to. He's curious about everything, and qualified to talk about it all because the only authority that he assumes is sincere engagement and an enthusiasm for sharing; this enviable mix makes for consistently compelling reading.
He's an omnivorous consumer of culture and ideas, and a prolific producer of them as well. Aside from his storied musical career and his formidable artistic accomplishments, he's an ardent urban cyclist who's created bike racks for our fair city and shared tales of his wanderings. (His newly released Bicycle Diaries: Audiobook is a multidisciplinary delight.) Playing the Building, perhaps the most monumental example of Byrne's cross-disciplinary derring-do (and one I had the very good fortune to experience in person!) was done as a collaboration with none other than Creative Time. Which brings us full circle back to today's edition--I've got a few more details to share before taking my leave!
Long-time collectors know that we take enormous pride in the quality of our prints, and this one is no exception. In fact, it's a reproduction so faithful, so verité, if you will, that I experienced a moment of panic when I saw the final proof sitting on Sara's desk. Why on earth was the original lying on her desk like that?! Picking it up didn't quell the instinct either, looking and feeling as it does like the real McCoy. It wasn't till I flipped it over and saw the printer's notations about paper type that I was able to exhale. (And, admittedly, gloat a bit about how awesome all of this was going to turn out to be!) Furthering the wondrousness, like all of our prints, each one of these comes with an artist-signed and numbered certificate of authenticity.
We decided to carry over that aforementioned verité to this particular print in another important way as well: the edition of 600 is only available in a single size--11" x 14", echoing the proportions of the original work. We're trying to accomplish a lot with this edition: first and foremost, to release a print of which we're proud (check!) while honoring our "art for everyone" commitment by offering prints at a price than almost anyone can afford, and we want to send a big, fat check to Creative Time as well. Faced with this triumvirate of challenges, we decided to price the edition on a schedule, with its cost rising (moderately!) as it sells out. Here's how it will work: The first 200 prints are $50 each, the second 200 are $100 each, and the final 200 are a still-very-reasonable (hello, it's David Byrne!) $150 each.
One final reminder: There is a limit of one print per collector, and we reserve the right to cancel completed orders if we determine that someone has ordered more than one. I expect that these will be gone in a flash, but fear not! We'll be back tomorrow--and the next day--with some excellent new editions.
Proceeds from the sale of these prints benefit Creative Time.
CREATIVE TIME strives to commission, produce and present the most important, ground-breaking, challenging and exceptional art of our times; art that infiltrates the public realm and engages millions of people in New York City and across the globe.
Next Email : Edition Announcement #322 - Amy Jean PorterPrevious Email : Edition Announcement #320 - Jenny Odell
Love it? Share it!
on Twitter...
on Facebook...Find art in your price range: $20, $50, $200, $500, $1000, $2000, $5000
These editions are almost sold out: Grab them while you can!
Or browse by your favorite color: Try our new color browser.
Jen Bekman Projects is hiring!....
Forward this email to a friend
Update my subscription preferences...
Unsubscribe me from this list.