New York University s Fales Library presents You Are Cordially Invited: The Art and Influence of Robert Blanchon, Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 6:30pm to 8:00pm, in the Fales Library, third floor of the Bobst Library at New York University, 70 Washington Square South, NYC.

Untitled (Self-Portrait), 1991 Robert Blanchon 1 of 14 portraits courtesy of the Estate of Robert Blanchon
Untitled (Self-Portrait), 1991 Robert Blanchon 1 of 14 portraits courtesy of the Estate of Robert Blanchon

New York University’s Fales Library presents ‘You Are Cordially Invited:’ The Art and Influence of Robert Blanchon, Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 6:30pm to 8:00pm, in the Fales Library, third floor of the Bobst Library at New York University, 70 Washington Square South, NYC.

Panelists include: Ann Butler, Director of the Libraries and Archives, Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College; Penny Pilkington, co-owner, PPOW Gallery; Joy Episalla, a member of the Gesso Foundation and Frank Moore’s estate; and Michael Ward Stout, LLD, president, Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation.

The discussion will explore Blanchon’s connections with artists and emerging trends in contemporary art. From parodies of the art world to AIDS agit-prop to cerebral, minimalist photography, Blanchon gleaned from art history to make his own interventions, and encouraged his students to do the same. The discussion is moderated by Marvin J. Taylor, director of Fales Library and Special Collections at New York University.

‘You Are Cordially Invited’ is part of the ongoing Fales exhibition of Blanchard’s works, entitled “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real): The Work of Robert Blanchon.” The exhibition - free and open to the public - was mounted as of November 19 and runs through February 26, 2010. Gallery Hours are Monday-to-Friday, 10:00 a.m.- 5:45 p.m. For additional information, call 212.998.2596 or email fales.library@nyu.edu

Upcoming events:

  • “Art or Archive? What Matters To Artists’ Estates,” Tuesday February 16, 2010, 6:30 -8:30 p.m., a panel discussion on the nature of artists’ estates, their placement in archival repositories, copyright issues, and other concerns about the disposition of artists’ papers. A discussion among professionals representing legal, artistic, and academic, and other institutional concerns, the evening will explore both the theoretical aspects of how an artistic legacy is maintained and offer practical advice on securing an artist’s oeuvre.

About The Robert Blanchon Estate Project
The Robert Blanchon Estate was created in 1999 and directed by the conceptual artist, Mary Ellen Carroll, his good friend and collaborator. In 2002, the Estate received support from the Judith Rothschild Foundation as well as from friends, family and collectors and thus began the invaluable partnership with Visual AIDS. In keeping with its mission to preserve the work and estates of artists having died of AIDS, Visual AIDS collected art works, writings, pedagogical materials, personal effects, and ephemera. Blanchon’s wish to have a monograph published on his work was realized in 2006 with support from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Visual AIDS published the catalogue distributed by D.A.P., which encompasses the artist’s diverse works and frames recurrent themes like the absence/death of the author/artist and the unaddressed art’s relationship to pre-AIDS, gay culture, as rendered in sculpture, installation, video, and photography. Finally, in early 2009, together with the estate of Robert Blanchon, Visual AIDS finalized the transfer of his archive to the Downtown Collection at New York University’s Fales Library. This was Robert Blanchon’s last expressed desire-having his work placed within a prestigious academic institution that would insure his legacy and the public’s access to his work.

About Visual AIDS:
Since 1988 Visual AIDS has been producing exhibitions, publications, and events utilizing visual art to effect change in the fight against AIDS. As one of the first national initiatives to respond to the AIDS pandemics, Visual AIDS projects like The [Red] Ribbon Project and Day Without Art helped the arts community lead the way towards AIDS activism. Through the Frank Moore Archive Project, Visual AIDS maintains a visual record of the pandemic and the contributions of artists effected by AIDS while providing services enabling many artists to continue their work and further their careers.

About the Fales Library:
The Fales Library, comprising nearly 200,000 volumes, and over 10,000 linear feet of archive and manuscript materials, houses the Fales Collection of rare books and manuscripts in English and American literature, the Downtown Collection, the Food and Cookery Collection and the general Special Collections of the NYU Libraries. The Fales Collection was given to New York University in 1957 by DeCoursey Fales in memory of his father, Haliburton Fales. It is especially strong in English literature from the middle of the 18th century to the present, documenting developments in the novel. The Downtown Collection documents the downtown New York art, performance, and literary scenes from 1975 to the present and is extremely rich in archival holdings, including extensive film and video objects.

Press Contact

Christopher James
Christopher James
(212) 998-6876