Fun Gallery

The Fun Gallery was an art gallery founded by Patti Astor and Bill Stelling in 1982. The Fun Gallery had a cultural impact until it closed in 1985.[1] As the first art gallery in Manhattan's East Village, it exposed New York to the talents of street art by showcasing graffiti artists like Fab 5 Freddy, Lee Quiñones, Zephyr, Dondi, Lady Pink, and Futura 2000. Contemporary artists Kenny Scharf, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Keith Haring also had solo exhibitions at the Fun Gallery.[2]

History

The Fun Gallery emerged from the punk scene of the late 1970s in the East Village.[3] After Patti Astor returned to New York City in 1975, she became an underground film actress and hung out at the club CBGB, which became a punk rock and new wave venue for bands like Blondie, Talking Heads, and the Ramones.[1] In the following years, other clubs followed, like Hurrah and the Mudd Club.

Astor befriended graffiti artist Fab 5 Freddy, a link between the uptown hip-hop and graffiti scenes and the downtown punk and art worlds. As Astor was filming the movie Wild Style in 1981, she asked graffiti artist Futura 2000 to create a mural in her East Third Street apartment. She celebrated the completion of the mural with a party where many artists and art influencers attended. Due to the positive reception, Astor's friend Bill Stelling offered up a small space to open an art gallery.

In September 1981, Astor opened the Fun Gallery in a storefront located at 229 East 11th Street for $175 a month.[4] At the end of the year she relocated to 254 East 10th Street, where the rent was seven times more than the first.[3] It was an alternative to the "pretentious" lower Manhattan art scene. Astor said, "We wanted to get away from that whole white people, white walls, white wine, Soho scene."[1] It soon became a fixture in the downtown art scene.

Artist Kenny Scharf had one of his first solo shows at the Fun Gallery in 1981, and he is credited with naming the gallery. At first, the gallery took on a new name for each show based on whoever was showing. Scharf decided that for his show, it would be called Fun Galley and then the name became permanent.[2] In October 1981, Fab 5 Freddy and Futura 2000 both had solo exhibits at the Fun Gallery.[4]

In November 1982, artist Jean-Michel Basquiat had a solo exhibit at the Fun Gallery. His date for the opening was his girlfriend Madonna.[5] Basquiat started out doing graffiti as SAMO, but by 1982 he had established gallery representation in the United States and Europe.[6] Although his art dealer Bruno Bischofberger praised his Fun Gallery exhibit, Basquiat complained about the lack of professionalism and stated that he wasn't paid.[5] By 1983, artist Keith Haring was increasingly disassociating himself from the graffiti scene and was exhibiting in galleries. He wanted to support the Fun Gallery and the artists, so he agreed to participate for a February 1983 solo exhibit.[7]

As the landscape of the East Village changed with other galleries opening and the rent increasing, Astor closed the Fun Gallery in 1985, and moved to Los Angeles.[8] In 2013, Astor released her memoir, Fun Gallery… the True Story, recounting her time in East Village art scene during the 1980s.[9]

References
  1. Hixon, Michael (June 5, 2018). "Patti Astor revives New York's Fun Gallery in Hermosa Beach". The Beach Reporter. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  2. "A little FUN Gallery with Patti Astor". Village Preservation. July 10, 2019. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  3. "'Queen of the Downtown Scene': Interview with Patti Astor, former co-owner of FUN Gallery". Artsy. March 3, 2014. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  4. Fensterstock, Ann (2013). Art on the Block: Tracking the New York Art World from SoHo to the Bowery, Bushwick and Beyond. St. Martin's Publishing Group. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-137-36473-9.
  5. Hoban, Phoebe (1998). Basquiat: A Quick Killing In Art. Oliver Wendell Holmes Library Phillips Academy. New York: Viking. pp. 138–139. ISBN 978-0-670-85477-6.
  6. Pearlman, Alison (2003). Unpackaging Art of the 1980s. University of Chicago Press. p. 184. ISBN 978-0-226-65145-3.
  7. Gruen, John (1992). Keith Haring: The Authorized Biography. Simon and Schuster. p. 91. ISBN 978-0-671-78150-7.
  8. Schilling, Mary Kaye (October 9, 2013). "Patti Astor, Eighties Art-Scene Icon And Wild Style Star, Still Has Fun". Vulture. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  9. "Fun Gallery… the TRUE Story". Obey Giant. December 20, 2013. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
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