January 31, 1998
Greetings Accumulators!
I'm not sure when this will go out, as I am involved in a major re-do of my
Mining Company website. My editor says it will make the site better. So
far, it is a monumental amount of work, and I've barely picked my head up
for days. So, please be patient with me if this newsletter is tardy. It's
not that I'm not thinking of you...
FROM THE GATES OF HEAVEN DEPARTMENT
By now, I suppose you've all heard the rumor that an original sketch by
Michelangelo was purchased at auction for several million dollars by none
other than our very own Nerd Supreme, Bill Gates. As a man who can afford
a very well-oiled publicity machine, and can control his public image
better than President Clinton (I guess that's not saying much, is it?), I'm
wondering why, if he is the purchaser, he hasn't spoken up. In his
interview with Barbara Walters on 20/20 this past Friday night, it was
pretty evident that he'd reviewed all the questions ahead of time, and that
his answers were prepared by professionals. So, if Big Bill is the
purchaser, what would be the point of keeping it to himself - just to hoard
the Michelangelo where no one else can see it? On the other hand, maybe it
wasn't Gates at all. Well, I know it wasn't me.
FROM THE I HOPE HIS MOM WASN'T IN IT ANYMORE DEPARTMENT
A strange little exhibit has opened at the Museum of American Folk Art in
New York, and will remain there until March 8. It is a showing of the
architectural drawings of one A.G. Rizzoli, a San Franciscan who lived,
during the first part of the 20th century, in a tiny house with his mother.
He was a lifelong virgin, who slept at the foot of his mother's bed, on a
cot, even after she died. What's strange about the exhibit, aside from the
obscure life of the work's creator, is that all the buildings he designed
were imaginary. None was ever built, nor could they be built, as they were
very strange - unbuildably strange.
A few examples: A building that was actually a portrait of someone
"Symbolically Delineated In Reverend Admiration For the Intellectual
Brilliancy He Already Possesses". Another, named "The Bridal Bar", is
described as one "In Which Any Girl Desiring Marriage Shall Be Granted Her
Wish", and another, named "Shaft Of Ascension", "In Which Euthanasia Is
Available To Those Desiring and Meriting a Pleasant, Painless Bon Voyage".
Mr. Rizzoli evidently had a stupendous fantasy life, which is good because,
by all accounts, his real one was pretty solitary. The Museum of American
Folk Art is located at Columbus Avenue between 65th and 66th Streets in
Manhattan. It is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 11:30 AM to 7:30 PM.
For information, call 212/977-7298.
REAL SOUTHERN COUNTRY
The famous Heart of Country Antiques Show, held annually in Nashville, TN,
will begin this year with a symposium on southern antiques. Featured
speakers will be Sumpter T. Priddy III, Dr. Oscar P. Fitzgerald, Roger
Ogden and Joanne and Jack Boardman. The symposium will take place on
February 12th and 13th. The show begins on February 13 at 10AM and ends on
February 15 at 5 PM.
Well, Accumulators, you already know what I did this weekend, and I have to
go back to work. Thanks for being my distraction for a little while. Happy Hunting!
Best,
Judith
© 1998 Judith Katz-Schwartz. All rights reserved.
Antiques and Collectibles Newsletter #28
U.S. Library of Congress
ISSN 1520-4464
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your comments, as always, are welcome. If you have something to say, write to me.
If you like, I'll subscribe you to the free short weekly email newsletter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RETURN TO INDEX OF NEWSLETTERS