Warhol Meets Punk and Gets Rock Star Treatment
A recent project at Frames and Stretchers involved the intersection of Andy Warhol’s Factory and the 70s downtown punk scene. We had the opportunity to frame an original Jon Pellicoro, “Andy Warhol” hand grenade. The unique and edgy graphic work was given a high-end treatment befitting a museum quality piece. We built a beautiful closed corner maple frame gilded with 22K gold. The grenade was hinged using Japanese paper and rice paste and mounted behind Optium museum acrylic.
Jon Pellicoro's Andy Warhol inspired hand grenade
Pellicoro was the drummer for the short-lived band the Handgrenades who hailed from Long Island and played Bowery circuit venues like Max’s and CBGB’s. He and band mate Bob Kern have been described as “mordant provocateurs, and good ones at that”. * It was Pellicoro who produced the grenades.
Doing conservation work on the grenade print
Details of the closed corner frame and 22K gold leaf
As a professional graphic artist who worked for the East Village Eye and was a partner in the design firm Grafix Multimedia, Pellicoro had the skills to experiment with unusual advertising gimmicks to promote the band. After a trip to the Factory he got the idea to produce a number of Warhol “inspired” hand grenades to pitch the band's 1979 single Demo to London. These grenade cutouts bore the name of the band and song as well as a “replica” Andy Warhol signature. Many storeowners thought the artworks were authentic Warhols and some were stolen. Some found the grenades to be a clever gimmick, while others were less than amused. Kern says they even tried to provoke Andy himself, “We also put one in Warhol's elevator, we posted them in the elevator of the Factory, and we sent them up to the third floor and walked off.”* Apparently Warhol verbally threatened to sue them, but nothing ever came of it.
The former promotional material in it's beautiful new frame
Now the grenades are a piece of urban folklore and it seems appropriate to have the opportunity to help preserve such a great piece of NYC history here at our LES location!
Framing Masters of Modern Art from "The Peace Portfolio"
Adolph Gottlieb's framed 1970 lithograph from the "Peace Portfolio"
The Frames and Stretchers team is thrilled to continue our ongoing association with the Ford Foundation. We recently had the pleasure of framing a complete set of The Peace Portfolio prints for their collection. We honored these masterpieces of Modern Art with custom framing using black hardwood maple molding. All 12 of the artworks were floated on museum mat boards using traditional Japanese paper hinges and rice paste and high grade UV protective plexi.
The Peace Portfolio is a set of vintage lithograph and screen prints originally published by the Academic and Professional Action Committee for a Responsible Congress. According to the artnet auction listing, the original purpose of the portfolio was to,"raise money for ‘the politics of peace,’ and proceeds were distributed to candidates in the 1970 election committed to ending the Vietnam War and for the return of social and racial justice in the United States.”
Stascia with framed works by Robert Rauschenberg and Saul Steinberg from the "Peace Portfolio"
This amazing collection of artworks resonates with relevance in today’s current political climate, but features works from significant twentieth century artists including: Adolph Gottlieb, Lee Krasner, Robert Motherwell, Robert Rauschenberg, and Saul Steinberg among others. Gottlieb, Krasner and Motherwell are stellar examples of American Abstract Expressionism (AbEx) with connections to the New York School while Rauchenberg represents a link between AbEx and the later Pop Art movement. Steinberg, a cartoonist and illustrator whose was often featured in The New Yorker, adds an example of figurative illustration to this impressive collection. Rounding out the set of 12 original graphics are works by: Allan D’Arcangelo, Herbert Ferber, William Stanley Hayter, George Ortman, Estaban Vicente and Larry Zox. Prints from the portfolio are represented in numerous museum collections.
Antonio with George Ortman's lithograph, "Peace"
Frames and Stretcher is grateful to the Ford Foundation for their continued support and for the strength of their mission in general. The Foundation is dedicated to the advancement of human rights and social justice for people from all backgrounds.
Jim Dine's Vintage Hearts
The Hearts Up Close:
A client recently stopped by the workshop with a framing order that included artwork by Jim Dine. The piece itself was a lithograph print with a silver background and eight hearts.
The finished Jim Dine piece.
For the frame design we decided to use hardwood maple, museum glass and spacers to separate the painting from the glass. Finally, we floated the art piece with Japanese paper and rice paste, which has a very low acidity. Since the piece is over 40 years old, we wanted to frame it with the highest level of conservation possible.
A Jim Dine piece entitled, "Frozen Hands, 2013"
Jim Dine the Artist:
Jim Dine is an American artist from Cincinnati, Ohio with an accomplished career in the art world. He first gained recognition for his performance art with the show "Happenings". Dine's next big exhibition was "New Paintings of Common Objects" curated by Walter Hopps. This exhibit was one of the first Pop Art exhibits in America. It included the work of Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Dowd. Shortly after the exhibit, he began experimenting with sculpture while attaching items to his artwork. This garnered commercial successes and eventually led to him moving to London to continue working on his art. Pinocchio has also had a prominence in his work leading to a book and a commission for the character's statue in Sweden. Jim Dine's artistic innovation has been widely recognized as groundbreaking in the Pop Art movement and his work is part of museum collections throughout the world.
Linnaeus at Home, 2010 by Jim Dine multicolor.
In conclusion, we had a great time framing this Jim Dine piece and learning more about him. Check out our Instagram to see more of our completed projects or come see us in person on the Lower East Side. To learn more about Jim Dine, visit his artist profile.
