The gallery on Bradford Street was so unassuming and camouflaged in deliberate decay that I almost walked right by it. Yet something about the broken-down gates and dead brush called to me, as if I’d seen it somewhere before, arranged just like that. A moment of recognition flickered somewhere in the back of my brain… Little Edie? Is that you?
I looked above the door, and saw it written: Grey Gardens. It wasn’t just in my head. The door swung open and a jovial man welcomed me inside, asking if I had heard about ‘Grey Gardens’. Was he kidding?! A grin formed upon my face and I almost jumped up and down in joy. Inside was the most amazing art installation I have ever seen – an almost item-for-item recreation of the Beales’ run-down home in the Hamptons.
If you know me at all, you know my obsession with all things ‘Grey Gardens’, and this was the sort of thing that could only be crafted by one of their greatest fans. Painstakingly detailed in execution, down to the very minutiae that informed their surroundings, it was as if I stepped into that decrepit house forty years ago.
The artist responsible for this extravaganza got it all down perfectly – from the colors of the walls and the beds, to every sly reference in the movies. Here you can see Jerry’s corn – because Jerry likes the way Big Edie does her corn.
Note also the magnifying glass and the astrological book, for finding out the ways of the Libra Man.
As soon as I recovered from my excitement, I called Andy to make the trip down Bradford Street at once. It was the closing day of the exhibition, and it was not something that could be missed.
More of the artist’s passion for the Beales, and his artwork honoring them, can be found on his website at www.edithbeale.com.
Looking closer at the installation, I was struck by the poignant memory of these two remarkable ladies, and the love of one remarkable artist in creating such a tribute.
More to come…
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