Colin de Land's gallery on Wooster Street
Colin de Land, who is the subject of a new book from Powerhouse, was one of those excessively rare art dealers who didn't merely earn himself a niche in art history but operated with such a distinctive touch that he seemed to exist within the art world as much as an artist - a Conceptual artist in de Land's case - as a gallerist.
De Land, who died of cancer at 47 in March 2003, first came to attention during the wondrous, if short-lived anti-Art Star hurly burly of Manhattan's East Village art boom on the early 80s. His gallery, Vox Populi, was in a former butcher's on East 6th Street. Then in 1988 he metamorphosed into American Fine Art and moved to a more tranquil location, 22 Wooster Street, in SoHo, just north of TriBeCa. A few years later he moved down the street to 44 Wooster.
In whichever location, de Land's operation was never a sleek, white collector-magnet, more resembling a ramshackle project room, where the disparate projects might or might not open on time. He showed artists as edgy as Cady Noland, Mariko Mori, Peter Fend and John Dogg, of whom more on another occasion. I knew de Land well enough to know that his anti-commercialism was not a strategy. He was no political prude, though, and taught a course on art collecting, as well as being a co-founder of New York's Armory art fair, with Matthew Marks, Paul Morris, and Pat Hearn, his wife, whose own death from cancer preceded his in 2000. I might add that de Land's last significant other was Kembra Pfahler, leader of the terrific Pornrock band, the Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black.
Colin de Land: American Fine Art(published by powerHouse Books in March) is edited by Dennis Balk, who showed at the gallery. It contains lots of photographs and a number of texts by friends and colleagues such as John Armleder, Gavin Brown, Mark Dion, Tom Burr, Andrea Fraser, Rachel Harrison, Mary Heilmann, and the indie-verging-into-mainstream movie director, John Waters, one of de Land's artists, who first came to widespread attention with Pink Flamingos. (It is mandatory to mention here the scene in which a perennial Waters' star, the late Divine, eats dogshit.) He became popularly successful with 'Hairspray', which also became a theatrical hit in New York and London. Waters and Mary Heilmann have each been commissioned to make an edition of prints to celebrate the tenth Armory Show, which opens on March 27. Here is Waters on his former dealer.
John Waters and Colin de Land
The crowds outside Colin de Land's gallery
Colin de Land
ANTHONY HADEN-GUEST How did you meet Colin?
JOHN WATERS You know, I'm a collector. So I always went to his gallery. And I thought he had the most amazing shows, shows that you couldn't buy, shows that were at the very edge of contemporary art. So I got to know him through the gallery. And I would try to buy things from him. Sometimes it was very hard to buy things from him. So we became friends. Then he asked did I ever do anything? All I had were
some pictures I had been working on forever, that I never showed anyone. And he came and looked at them. And showed them.
AHG When was that?
JW I would say the early 90s. I don't know exactly. But roughly then.
AHG And when did you first start going to the gallery?
JW At the very beginning. At the little one he had on Wooster Street. Then he moved down the street. I did
not know him in the East Village.
AHG How was he as a dealer? He certainly seemed a different kind of animal from most.
JW The thing he did for me is that I could never have gotten into the art world except for Colin. Because as we know the art world of America is very suspicious of people who have other careers. Especially celebrities. So the very fact that Colin exhibited me completely ... (pause) ... almost gave me immunity from that searing criticism. Because Colin was so relevant. It was a great protection for me. Collectors loved Colin. He looked dead! But dead and sexy. And so everybody was always a little bit scared of him. And there's nothing better in the art world than to be very appealing and slightly scary.
AHG Many dealers pretend to be anti-commercial. He seemed to be the real thing. Don't you think?
JW I could argue that point a little bit. I know exactly what you mean. However, he did great with me.
He sold a lot of my work to really good dealers and collectors. And also paid me! So I've heard all that
[about his anti-commercialism] from other people but Colin didn't pick work unless he really, really liked
it. Some of it might be sellable, some wasn't. But he was more together commercially than people believe.
He had collectors that followed him deeper into the art world than many other dealers could ever get
collectors to go.
AHG Did he get you into some good collections?
JW He certainly did, yes! One of the pieces that he sold is in the Met. He led me in the right direction
everywhere from the very beginning.
AHG I assume I am not the first person to observe that there was somewhat of a physical similarity between you?
JW Well, I understand what you mean. And I think that's a compliment. And at one time he tried to grow a
moustache like me. And I told him it's not going to work! So basically Colin and I had physically a look.
But I don't think we copied each other in any way. I think Colin was sexier. But I know what you mean
actually. We both dressed in a similar way, yes. Colin would never spend more than $10 on an outfit though.
AHG One of your movies touches on the art world.
JW Pecker, yes.
AHG Was Colin involved in that at all?
JW Well, certainly. The gallery we shot in was Pat Hearn's gallery. We recreated it in Baltimore. And also he used to have my opening parties in a place that used to be the art hang-out. We recreated that exact room. Yes, Colin was a huge influence. He was an influence on anything I did in the art world. And still is.
Book signings for Colin de Land: American Fine Arts, edited by Dennis Balk:
March 28, 2008, 5-7PM
March 29, 2008, 2-4PM
Artforum Pub. Lounge/Armory Show/Pier 94
711 12th Avenue
New York, NY 10019
T +1 (212) 399-4247
And
March 29, 2008, 5-7PM
Printed Matter 195 10th Ave New York, NY 10011
T +1 (212) 925-0325
Anthony Haden-Guest is a writer, reporter and cartoonist. He writes for leading magazines in Britain and America, most recently in Esquire, GQ (UK) the Financial Times and Britain's Observer Magazine. You can email him directly with your comments at anthonyhaden.guest@yahoo.co.uk and/or post your views on the Saatchi Online public blog, making sure to put the title of this article as your header.
)
)
)