Wednesday, August 11, 2004
Clyfford Still for Denver
An article in today's Denver Post provides the back story for this week's announcement that the city has been given the Clyfford Still estate.
The article ends with this sentence, "The mayor said several factors clinched the deal, including the city's vow to truly honor Still's accomplishments."
Now, what do you suppose that means? How does Denver plan to "truly honor Still's accomplishments"?
Here's my best guess of things that the city had to promise Patricia Still to close the deal:
The article ends with this sentence, "The mayor said several factors clinched the deal, including the city's vow to truly honor Still's accomplishments."
Now, what do you suppose that means? How does Denver plan to "truly honor Still's accomplishments"?
Here's my best guess of things that the city had to promise Patricia Still to close the deal:
- A new Claes Oldenburg sculpture of a palette knife will be commissioned for the entrance to the museum building that will be constructed.
- Until a suitable museum is built to present his work to the public, Still's paintings will be hung in the court house where the Kobe Bryant trial is being held. Lighting will be designed to make them look especially pretty for the TV cameras.
- From this day forward in the city of Denver, August 10 will officially be known as "We Honor Clyfford Still's Accomplishments Day."
- A special commemorative series of Coors Light cans will be printed with images of Still's paintings.
- Loans from the collection of Still's work will be prohibited, as will displaying work by any other artist. (No, wait, they actually did promise that.)
- The Denver Art Museum will deaccession all artwork made after 1930 by artists whose last name is not "Still."
- The city will change its tag line from "The Mile High City" to "The Impasto Capital of the World."
- You know that mountain range off to the west of the city? There's no reason those can't be called the Clyfford Mountains, is there?
