Richard Hambleton - 1952 to 2017

 

Scene from Blitzkunst taken in San Francisco 1979

Ginny Lloyd: Sorry to read about Richard's death. He stayed at my place in San Francisco for about a week as a favor for a gallery in town. I hardly saw him since he slept all day and was out all night working his magic on the city walls and pavement. I was beginning work on the book "Blitzkunst" so had the forethought to take this photo. I think it says a lot about Richard.

Monty Cantsin Amen: Thanks Ginny, I saved this. Whatever else comes to your mind pls message it, and if you see friends from mail-art or SF connection, etc, let them know I'm collecting memories, many thanks.

Ginny Lloyd: Thanks Monty for asking for my thoughts or other comments. In my conversations with Richard he had a plan and was determined to achieve stardom. He was handsome in a male model way and very intelligent. He talked about how he wanted a life about “wine, women and song”. 

Monty Cantsin Amen: That's a great pic you put up here. Richard was a good model. Do you have it in high res?  
 

Kazu Yanagi with Monty Cansin Amen - 1980

Ginny Lloyd: Yes I have one.  

Monty Cantsin Amen: I'm writing his biography. Let people know who might have comments.

Ginny Lloyd: The first time I saw the outlined image looking like a crime scene I hesitated to walk on it wondering what it was for. He liked to watch from a distance to see the reactions people had to this ‘scene”. His impromptu shadow paintings were popular after trying the paper posters. It was obvious he was a painter when you saw the shadow people. I believe he was in Brazil for a spell living the high life the last time I heard anything about him. Or maybe that was someone else. I don’t like the way the art world has shunned him instead of showing compassion. His story reads like a painter’s tale of a different era, like one of the gifted greats.

Note: There are several articles about Richard online. He was also part of Club 57, the club discussed in the previous post. In 2010 two rare Richard Hambleton pieces at the amfAR 17th Annual Cinema Against AIDS Gala During the Cannes Film Festival sold for $960,000.

Found in the Archives - More Copies of Blitzkunst Available - SOLD OUT in Europe!

Ray Johnson liked this book. He would ask me about it and wanted more. I asked him what for, and he said he sold them to galleries and art spaces. Huh! I'll send a copy of this note if you ask for it when making a purchase.

Blitzkunst

During the 80s I was working with making my own photo paper by painting emulsion onto rag paper for large prints (16 X 20 inches). From this I created a series of images of artists I would meet in my travels or who would come to San Francisco. I decided to supplement these with a questionnaire I would ask artists to fill out and found a publisher in Germany very interested in what had become a book. Below are excerpts from Blitzkunst: