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Recently we watched “Halston” on Netflix. It got me thinking about the time I tried, unsuccessfully, to get his signature for my Autographs Project.
My Autographs Project was something that I came up with and worked on during the 1980s and early 1990s. Basically I wanted to meet famous people and I did it for own enjoyment. What I would do is the drawing of the celebrity and then figure out how to get to them. Eventually I would get in contact with their secretary, assistant or manager and work through them. Some of the best people were the guys at the stage doors at Broadway shows. They loved my project and I would usually get to the star. Over the years I was able to get the autographs of President and Nancy Reagan (I just loved that my drawings were actually in the Oval Office), Andy Warhol, Al Hirschfeld, Liza Minnelli, Elizabeth Taylor, Stephen Sondheim, Spike Lee, Paloma Picasso (I have a signed Picasso), Michael Jackson, Lucille Ball, Bernadette Peters, Mandy Patinkin, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Jeremy Irons, to name a few.
Back in those days, while living in New York City, celebrities were everywhere. I also liked to search out people that were seen, popular and I admired their talent. Halston (1932-1990) was an American fashion designer. He designed Jackie Kennedy’s pillbox hat! You know that famous pink one in Dallas. The gowns that he designed in the 1980s, I felt, had the same kind of lines that I put on paper. And he hung out with the best celebrities; Andy, Liza, Elizabeth, etc. I thought he might be someone cool to get to sign a drawing. I called his office and found my contact: Lisa. She was extremely nice and said that she would try and help me. I went up to his huge office space in the Olympic Towers on 5th Avenue. I remember standing there, empty and quiet that morning, seeing the fashion runway, the view of New York City from high above, but thinking of all the famous that had been there. Lisa was great. I showed her the drawing. I put Halston in an Ingres painting with his models (and those are his models) and his clothes behind him. She said that she would see what she could do. It took a long time for a response. Like a year or so. Finally the response was that he wouldn’t sign it because he thought it made him look like an emperor. He didn’t like it. I wanted this autograph. So two years later I came back with a second try. I thought I’d put Halston with his good friend, American modern dancer and choreographer, Martha Graham (1894-1991). This one took 6 months to get a response. Supposedly he said “Martha would never light my cigarette.” (He had a point). He also felt that I made him look to stern.
I am not sure how true the Netflix show is, but soon after my rejections the New York Times published an article about Halston and his business problems. He sold the rights to his name and all the troubles he was having. This was exactly the time I was trying to get his autograph. So, it might have been just bad timing for me and especially for him.
However, it worked out just fine. When I went to pick up the second drawing of Halston I asked Lisa if she had a contact for Halston’s great friend and a woman that he designed many clothes for, Liza Minnelli. She went through her Rolodex and handed me a number. That number got me Liza’s autograph on her drawing. From that connection, through Liza, I got to Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Jackson. The icing on the cake was Michael hiring me, in 1988, at the height of his fame, to do a coloring book for children based on his video “Moonwalker.” So no real complaints about Halston at all and it is still cool that he actually saw my drawings. I like that.
Link to Autographs: www.flickr.com/photos/leselect/albums/72157677401151292
Frederick Sandys (1829-1904) - Portrait of May Gillilan
www.artrenewal.org/artworks/portrait-of-may-gillilan/anth...
Pencil and watercolours. Moleskine watercolour booklet. 200 g cold-pressed paper. Size (inches): 5.25 by 8.25 (13 x 21 cm)
Petite sortie avec mon nouveau pentax MZ-6 , mon fidèle 50mm f/2.0 de chez pentax et un film de chez Ilord, j'ai nommé le HP5 plus
Drawing. Pen, ink. 1979
This is a simple drawing of a very "depressive" (young) person I once met. An impression, a spontaneous sketch I made thinking about this person. Just an expression of my feelings. It is obviously and with intention not made according to the academical rules for art. In a free style as an expression. In many western countries "depression" is called nowadays a widespread and epidemic phenomenon Called a "disease". An illness. Why epidemic? The word is used for so many situations. The meaning of this word "depression" changed during history. See Wikipedia. It is a very complex subject. And there are also many discussions about the right treatment, evt. psychofarmica or sports, therapies. This drawing shows an extreme.
Finding this very old drawing I also thought about the economical depression we had in West Europe and VS. The last years. Around 2008/2012.