uncle1950uncle said...
Many of my works are in private collections. Other's in small to medium university libraries. Where they sit forgotten unknown, and will for decades perhaps centuries to come.
Till they're needed again.
I had my full collection. One copy of everything from my first to last work all in a gay library.
This in Rotterdam.
These were terrible dangerous works. Just full of poetry drawings of Angels prose dreaming of better worlds. These were entrusted there.
When attitudes changed. Remember the Netherlands was once the most enlightened country on the art form for a short time.
When the political conditions changed.
My collection along with 'all' Dionysian oriented artistic materials there stored were tuned over to the authorities. These were examined for evidence against the artists.
Then destroyed.
So yes out of the way unremarkable forgotten niches are best. Better yet the Fahrenheit 451 methods of hiding. This till another age of rationality dawns.
Anonymous said...
Was that perchance the Brongersma collection? Its destruction was a horrible travesty of everything civilization is supposed to stand for.
I well remember Dutch liberalism; in fact I visited the Netherlands during that period, the early 80s. I loved it. But it’s long over.
I guess the lesson is that the liberalism of a particular historical period can’t be relied on. Consider the deeper history of the nation. In 1555, the citizens of Amsterdam burned a pig for witchcraft. With that kind of a foundation, intolerance & barbarism are bound to come around again.
Same thing with our Puritan heritage. And the way things are shaping up, I get the impression that Europe may spend the next few centuries as a battleground between Islam and Christianity - not a situation conducive to the development or conservation of the arts.
I fancy that societies with a longstanding tradition of animism or paganism are a better bet; parts of Latin America, for instance. But nowhere is there a guarantee of survivability.
So yeah, out of the way places and private collections are the way to go. All told, it sounds like you’ve done pretty well.
Z
uncle1950uncle said...
So far so good.
Even I don't know all of the small colleges universities private collections, and attics that are havens for my gleefully deluded works.
So even if I fell into the hands of the current Thought Police I could not betray them.
Yes it was Dutch Senator Brongersma's collection that housed many including my own efforts at glorifying kindness love, and beauty.
First drafts of essays hand tinted copies of my little books. Original pencil, and ink sketches, and such. Not just me, but as you know many artists entrusted their works to that library. All destroyed, and some artists arrested.
We must remember that some of the eastern European countries now have Concentration Camps for Queers. So far has the tide turned. This to the applause of millions.
In Holland not just porn, but 'any' materials writings sketches had become actionable...they never had a First Amendment. Their several periods of open culture were all at the pleasure of the law, and momentary fashion,...fashions change.
I knew Edward Brongersma for some years. A thoughtful kindly brilliant man. He was driven to suicide by the changes within his country.
The gay community gave no notice when this happened nor any concern for the destruction of his library. Which was the largest destruction of Queer related materials since the Nazis burned the Hirschfeld Institute to the ground in the 1930's
...so here we are.
uncle1950uncle said...
As for my own originals they were mostly destroyed by concerned family during my periods of hospitalization. When they found them they panicked. Fearing I would be prosecuted for writing, and drawing what were to them extreme Queer materials.
They did it they said to protect me.
From their point of view I believe them. So I have almost no original works left. Just what copies I made from online, and what friends had. I couldn't if such were still possible. I couldn't put on a gallery show of originals at this point.
So little exists.
I could make new works, but the times have taken the desire or heart to do so out of me. This is how well their poison works.
