Viewing page 6 of 9

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

VIRGINIA DWAN INTERVIEW   6-6-6

V.D.: No. I want to correct that because there are many dealers who keep their galleries going by their back room activities, so called. Their trading of De Koonings or Pollacks or Gorkys or whatever. It happens that when I first opened the gallery in 1959, I did purchase some of those works for the gallery, and some of them we've hung on to through the years, and from time to time we've let one or two go. However, in the past four years there has been very little buying of works of artists who we do not show because there simply isn't the time to project the work of our artists and their ideas, and at the same time be trafficing in works which are not our direct concern. The gallery's taken on a sort of identity of its own, and that is what I am personally very concerned with. When I say the gallery, I mean the gallery buys of the artists.

E.V.: Is there anything else that you want to tell me about your artists or working with them, in any way?

V.D.: I think that the function of the gallery is accorded not only in the financial sense to an artist. I do not encourage an artist to come in with their personal problems , nor do they do that. They are independent and very strong people. However, there are times when they would want to discuss the fact that they have been thinking along certain lines in their work, and have a sounding-board in a sense, or show mock-ups or whatever, drawings of new ideas that they are working on. And I feel that it is very important that the artist know that the gallery is behind him. That the gallery is not just interested in the fact that he did just this one thing at this one time, but that the gallery is interested in him as an artist who will continue to grow , and believes in the growth that is taking place in him.

E.V.:  That's very interesting compared to the way it used to be, or the way some dealers are if an artist's work changes in a way that he doesn't like, in some cases has told the artist that this work is not interesting and will not show it.

V.D.: I've never understood that. I feel that my artists are important, and what they think and do has to have some value on the importance of their work , and perhaps each artist will, from time to time pass

(more)