Please Call Home

When a work of art is created it takes on a life of its own. The artist gives it birth but once it leaves home it forms its own history. There is no law that says a creation must stay in touch with its creator, although I wish there were.

Ibram Lassaw kept a Sculpture Book, a loose leaf notebook in which he recorded each sculpture and fairly consistently noted what exhibitions it was in and who bought it. But over time, I'm talking 60-70 years, people die, households are broken up, the next generation doesn't always know what things are, and information such as titles, dates, materials, and even sometimes the artist’s name are lost. I can't count how many Lassaw sculptures have been auctioned as untitled and undated. The wear of time has turned their golden colors brown or dull yellow. The wonderful stories that form the context of their creation are unknown. One sculpture which came up for auction a few years ago, untitled, undated, was almost lost to history. I contacted the auction house and gave them the title, date, and story. After its brief appearance at auction it is once more "lost", where-abouts unknown, at least to me.

Being a child watching each sculpture grow, was to participate in a magical process. I feel as if all these sculptures are my sisters. I feel sad when sculptures go uncared for and lose their names. Each one was so much a part of our family. When I gave the history to the auction house, Moons of Saturn sold for nearly a hundred times what it sold for at the Kootz Gallery in 1955. Its a shame that my father wasn't able to enjoy some of that. We need the Droit de Suite like they have in Europe. From each sale a small percentage goes to the artist or the heirs. No one contacted me about the sculpture, I just happened to check the auctions and discovered it. All works have at minimum a list of exhibitions and materials on their Sculpture Book page. Good stories make things more valuable. Art doesn't just pop out of nowhere, it has context, and just like yeast makes bread rise, art rises out of its creator's whole life.

I am working on a Catalogue Raisonné of all Lassaw works. Without help, this seems to be a job that takes a lifetime. Besides the sculptures and drawings there are also Bosom Sculptures or pendants that are floating around out there. Most of the time when I see pendants for sale on Ebay or at auction and I ask the seller to send me an image, they are not interested. I guess history is less interesting to them than cash. I am trying to document all these works, and in exchange for good images, I can tell you the titles, dates, and histories. In the last month, 10 pendants have found me and I was able to track down a lost sculpture. But pure luck and sending good vibes into the cosmos is a slow process. Most of the children of artists from my generation are also cataloging their parents’ works. We all need some help. So, like the movie E.T., I am asking all Lassaw creations to PLEASE CALL HOME.

Denise Lassaw

Working on Sui Shi, 1962.