THE WRITER'S BRUSH
An Exhibition of Art by Writers
PIERRE MENARD GALLERY | 10 Arrow Street | Cambridge, MA
Dec 15, 2007 to Jan 15, 2008
Pierre Menard is pleased to announce our next exhibition, a show of visual art by writers, mounted in conjunction with the publication of the new book on the subject, The Writer's Brush, written by Donald Friedman.
The first leg of the show took place in New York in September and October at Anita Shapolsky Gallery, and this incarnation is an expanded version of that event. Our show will open, with reception, on the 15th of December and run through the 15th of January. The Writer's Brush will then travel to Los Angeles in mid-February to be displayed at Denenberg Fine Arts.
The Writer's Brush features work by more than 120 writers, including: Walter Abish, Rafael Alberti, Roberta Allen, A.R. Ammons, John Ashbery, Enid Bagnold, Amiri Baraka, Djuna Barnes, Mary Beach, Andrei Bely, Bill Berkson, Ted Berrigan, Elizabeth Bishop, Star Black, Jorge Louis Borges, Breyten Breytenbach, Joseph Brodsky, Charles Bukowski, Gelett Burgess, David Burliuk, William Burroughs, Josef Capek, R.V. Cassill, G.K. Chesterton, Tom Clark, Daniel Clowes, Jean Cocteau, Norma Cole, Douglas Coupland, Morris Cox, Jim Crace, E.E. Cummings, Annie Dillard, J.P. Donleavy, John Dos Passos, Rikki Ducornet, Robert Duncan, Lawrence Durrell, Russell Edson, David Eggers, Kenward Elmslie, Mary Fabelli, Jules Feiffer, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Jacopo Fijman, Charles Henri Ford, Federico Garcia Lorca, Kahlil Gibran, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Allen Ginsberg, Louise Gluck, Guenter Grass, Alasdair Gray, Nicolai Gumilov, Alan Gurganus, Brion Gysin, Donald Harrington, Hermann Hesse, Jack Hirschman, Susan Howe, Georges Hugnet, Victor Hugo, Aldous Huxley, Tama Janowitz, Charles Johnson, Donald Justice, Anna Kavan, Weldon Kees, Robert Kelly, Jack Kerouac, Maxine Hong Kingston, Bill Knott, Richard Kostelanetz, Alfred Kubin, D.H. Lawrence, Jonathan Lethem, Wyndham Lewis, Pierre Louys, Mina Loy, Lucebert, Clarence Major, Gerard Malanga, Andre Malraux, Robert Marshall, Leonard Michaels, Henri Michaux, Henry Miller, Susan Minot, Bradford Morrow, Walter Mosley, Vladimir Nabokov, Hugh Nissensen, Clifford Odets, Fernando del Paso, Kenneth Patchen, Mervyn Peake, Claude Pellieu, Francisco Picabia, Alexandra Pizarnik, Sylvia Plath, Beatrix Potter, Annie Proulx, James Purdy, Alexei Remizov, Kenneth Rexroth, Maclaren Ross, Peter Sacks, William Saroyan, Mira Schor, Maurice Sendak, Charles Simic, Patti Smith, William Jay Smith, Iris Smyles, Ralph Steadman, Mark Strand, Aldo Tambellini, Igor Terentiev, Cecilia Thaxter, Ruthven Todd, Frederic Tuten, Josef Vachal, Cecilia Vicuna, Tino Villanuevo, Kurt Vonnegut, Janwillwem van de Wetering, Derek Walcott, Keith Waldrop, Rosanna Warren, Lewis Warsh, Denton Welch, Marjorie Welish, Richard Wilbur, Tennessee Williams, Gahan Wilson, Stanislaw Witkiewicz, Unica Zuern.
About Pierre Menard Gallery: The Gallery shows work by modern and contemporary artists in a variety of mediums. John Wronoski, owner of Lame Duck Books, opened the gallery in August 2006. Invested in both the literary and visual arts, Pierre Menard has become a unique and celebrated venue for literary events, exhibits of foreign and local artists, and is proud to produce a series of artist catalogues.
Comment by Matt W., Cambridge MA, on 1/25/2008: The Pierre Menard gallery is a hidden gem amongst the Boston art gallery scene. They offer a constantly changing display to consistently tantalize your eyes and brain. Did you know E.E. Cummings paints? Stop by this months display entitled "A Writer's Brush" and you can see works by Cummings and other notable literary minds. Last year they had a display featuring the work of Carolee Schneemann, an influential figure of the 60's with some fairly off the wall art. Of course, one of the best things about the Pierre Menard gallery is that it often sponsors special events.....everything from poetry readings to live concerts (many with free booze)....so it pays to stop by the shop and see what events they have planned. When you do stop by, stick your head in the small office and ask for the grand tour! You might also visit the small book store right next door, overflowing with rare books from notable libraries. https://www.yelp.com/biz/pierre-menard-gallery-cambridge
Comment by Trish F., Boston, MA on 1/9/2008: Despite the amount of museums I've been to and the amount of art I've seen all over, I don't really know what a standard gallery should be like. So the casual observer Dish is going to just make some comments and then hopefully some art snob will tell me what's what. Or not. Hopefully not, actually.
This place is kinda hidden. Most of Arrow Street businesses are if you ask me. They do have a swing sign hanging above the door, but nothing imprinted on the building. I came here for "The Writers' Brush", an exhibit about writers' art work. I thought the gallery was fitting for an exhibit like this since it was more of a drop in affair. I don't see this place holding a huge opening or anything because it might get claustrophobic. The gallery has two floors. First floor has a main room and an addition of sorts to the side that's about 3/4 the main room's size. The stairs are a bit narrow and we had to wait for people to come up before going downstairs. I mean I guess we could have squeezed past them.. but meh, who rushes around while looking at art.
The downstairs is unpaved. Street cred? It's about the same size as the upstairs main room and it opens up to a walkway that leads to Lame Duck Books. This seemed kinda weird because the walkway to Lame Duck looked like a storage area for both businesses, so you're not quite sure if you're supposed to go through (you are allowed btw).
I didn't see anyone watching the gallery, but there was a table with the book, "The Writers' Brush" for sale so I assume there must have been someone lurking somewhere. The space is also open for rental. I think it'd be cool for a small party, depending on the restrictions. I'd definitely come back assuming all shows are free. I'm a bit swayed in rating because of the exhibits. https://www.yelp.com/biz/pierre-menard-gallery-cambridge
