Page 52 - Studio International - February 1965

1

2
means rejected, but American pioneers had found
their place. If, prior to World War 11, they had been
apprentices, they were now journeymen-and what
journeymen ! An Artists' Club was founded which pro­
vided the mise en scene for now legendary panels and
discussions (frequently near riots) ; the Waldorf
Cafeteria and the Cedar Tavern became forums, and the
high-ceilinged lofts and studios of lower Manhattan
rumbled with ideas. The ideas and attitudes exchanged
during those charged days and nights have nourished
a generation of artists.
It is, finally, almost impossible to describe that excite­
ment. Yet that is exactly what the collection of Mr. and
Mrs. Donald Grossman does. It is the symbol, or,
rather, the triumph of an era-an era that remains, in
its vigour and multiplicity, unmatched in America.
The Grossmans do not consider themselves collectors.
They are quite correct in that estimation. Rather, they
1
Jackson Pollock 1912-1956 are alert, sensitive people with a zest for life and the
Black and White 'Polyptych' courage of their independence. They do not seek excite­
24 X 80 in. ment, they live it. If art is integral to their existence, so,
too, are most of the other adjuncts of genuine civiliza­
2 tion. Their simplicity is not studied; it is a concom­
Arshile Gorky 1904-1948
Composition. 1927 /28 mitant of the intelligence they bring to bear on a
43 X 33 ½ 1n. aspects of a life. Mr. Grossman, a talented athlete,
suffered a shattering accident a few years ago when a
3 faulty elevator plunged him thirteen stories. Miracu­
Philip Guston lously he survived, but his days as an athlete were done.
Painters city, 1957
65 X 77 1n. There is no bitterness in him. He rejoices in life and the
84