Book About Death Gets Carried Away

A New York gallery, The Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery, became a mob scene last week, when visitors lined up, crowded in, then laid claim to an unbound A Book About Death.

I tried to get my son, who attends New York University, to go uptown and take whatever was left. Alas, no such luck. I'm reduced to content myself vicariously with these few words from Matthew Rose and an online show (the bricks-and-mortar one ends today).

The story from Matthew, who lived to tell about it:

From Matthew Rose:

A BOOK ABOUT DEATH : EHF Gallery, NYC UNTIL 9/22

A Book About Death, a project I launched in March, opened on September 10, 2009 at The Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery, 537 Broadway, NYC, NY 10012. http://abookaboutdeath.blogspot.com/

We had more than 1000 people attend the exhibition opening night, with a 500-person line waiting an hour to get in; a live web cast showed the happenings in the gallery to a worldwide audience of about 2000 from Beijing to Boston. Why the interest? Because the exhibition and the 500 or so works that comprise A Book About Death is free. It's the only exhibition that you can take with you... for free. Some of the well known artists who participated: Yoko Ono, Eric Andersen, Caterina Verde, Peter Schuyff, Sol Kjøl, Geoffrey Hendricks and 480 others. Visitors collect the cards from the boxes on the floor and walk out with the entire exhibition.

All information along with the downloadable Press Release and the posters (also free for download) is on the blog/site: http://abookaboutdeath.blogspot.com/

I encourage you all to either go to the exhibition, collect the book or send a proxy. Already several museums have made collections; artists and curators will re-exhibit the show in other countries and use the blog and site as a support structure.

The exhibition is open Tues - Sat 1 pm - 7 pm. It closes at the end of the day Tuesday 9/22.

Please don't let this opportunity to collect an historic work of art... free. Please copy and paste this e mail to a friend who might be interested in this work. The edition is limited to 500, so there are not many around. Installation shots are on the blog and the FaceBook site. E mail me with questions: MATTHEW.ROSE.PARIS@gmail.com

Best, Matthew Rose