Every week, Artnet News brings you Wet Paint, a gossip column of original scoops reported and written by Nate Freeman. If you have a tip, email Nate at nfreeman@artnet.com.
SLIGHT REBELLION OFF MADISON
In 2014, Richard Prince closed Fulton Ryder, the mysterious bookstore-slash-gallery that he clandestinely ran out of a space at a never-repeated address—though, reader, if you can keep a secret, it was on East 78 Street between Park and Madison. Fulton Ryder (which is a name that Richard Prince has used as a pseudonym) had a pretty solid two-year run, selling the now-infamous edition of J.D. Salinger‘s The Catcher in the Rye that read, on the cover, “a novel by Richard Prince.” It also hosted the debut solo show of current market star Genieve Figgis, whom Prince discovered on Instagram, and published books by artists such as Dan Colen, Marilyn Minter, John Dogg, and Howard Johnson (the latter two names are, again, pseudonyms of Richard Prince).
Richard Prince selling copies of his edition of The Catcher in the Rye on September 29, 2011, as author James Frey takes a picture of the books. Photo by Bill Powers.
And so it was a bit of a surprise to see Prince, the great American artist, getting back into the book publishing business this year. In May, during the peak of lockdown, Prince sat down on a bench near Central Park—the same bench, in fact, where he first sold copies of his cover-sleeve remix of the Salinger classic—and offered his edition of Truth Vs. Lies, a book penned by the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski. Turns out Prince purchased the one and only proof of the math-professor-turned-domestic-terrorist’s manuscript in 2014.
Until Fulton Ryder opens, this book is, according to sources, available to purchase at Karma Books on East Third Street. Photo via Instagram.
And now there’s a full-blown Fulton Ryder reboot. Sources confirmed to Wet Paint that Prince is bringing back his secret bookstore and gallery, where he’ll stage exhibitions of artists that he’s long supported alongside those he’s recently discovered and has also started to collect. He’ll also sell books.
More details came from an Instagram post on the handle @fulton_ryder, which was activated a few weeks ago. There, the Instagram’s proprietor wrote in one post “FULTON RYDER IS ALMOST OPEN” and gave an email address in case anyone wanted more info. (“Your mail message to the following address(es) could not be delivered,” said an automated response.) There was also an intriguing list of artists that Fulton Ryder “collects and shows,” including David Hammons, Ellen Gallagher, Harmony Korine, Tatiana Trouve, and Kim Gordon, among many others.
A list of artists for the new iteration of Fulton Ryder. Photo courtesy Instagram.
Unlike the last iteration of Fulton Ryder, it will not be run by Fabiola Alondra, who since the gallery/bookstore closed in 2014 went on to start Fortnight Institute with Jane Harmon. As for the location, sources close to the artist said it has yet to be determined. Others speculated that it could very well be in the same very secret spot as the previous Fulton Ryder—the storefront on East 78th Street, near Prince’s multi-townhouse residence. Since closing the original Fulton Ryder, the artist had used the space as a Manhattan studio when he’s in town from his upstate complex in Rensselaerville.
Prince did not respond to an email, nor a request for comment through a rep.
ODEON FRIES SEIZED BY CITY FREEZE-OUT
The greatest art restaurant in Manhattan. Photo courtesy Instagram.
For the last few weeks, we’ve been updating you on a situation that quickly became a massive citywide concern: The Odeon had stopped serving French fries. More than anything else published in this column recently, readers wanted to know about the fate of the most celebrated spuds to ever grace a Gotham table, that well-salted cone of crispy deities, the always-correct snack to accompany a gin martini. The absence of a small but essential part of the classic Tribeca art-world hang altered the entire identity of the place—especially because the Odeon had become one of the few Before Times canteens that comfortably adjusted to post-lockdown outdoor hangs. The world was off its axis.
Fries are back at the Odeon. Photo courtesy Nate Freeman.
Thankfully, Wet Paint can confirm the fries have returned—just in time for the 40th anniversary of the restaurant, which first opened on October 14, 1980. And we can reveal the true culprit behind the long delay. The restaurant was powerless to the crisis—the Odeon faced more nefarious forces. Sources within the restaurant said that Con Ed shut off the gas after a minor leak in the meter, and held off on restoring service until the management jumped through a number of increasingly arcane bureaucratic hoops. After weeks of dutifully complying with inspectors, city officials finally granted the place the right to turn the gas back on partially, and after several painful fry-less fortnights, the fryers were back in action.
Sources at the restaurant insisted that the Odeon isn’t the sole victim here, as any other New York restaurant has to also deal with reams of Con Ed red tape. Then again, there isn’t any restaurant in New York like the Odeon.
POP QUIZ
Here at the Pop Quiz HQ, it’s super fun to see a lot of people get the quiz right. And a lot of you got this one right—congrats to all! The correct response was Gerhard Richter’s Mädchen im Sessel (Lila) (1966), which was bought at Phillips in 2014 by Marc Jacobs. (Jacobs has since sold it, but the photo in the quiz was from the fashion designer’s wall, so that’s the answer we were looking for. Those who know the current owner—big bonus points.)
Alas, as so many got the quiz right, we’re going to list the first 10 respondents with the correct answer: Cyprien David, director at Gagosian Geneva; Sotheby’s vice president Bame Fierro March; Cardi Gallery’s Carla Schöffel; Amelie Beier, the London representative at Karl and Faber Fine Art Auctions; Levy Gorvy director Bona Yoo; William Leach, a former trusts, estates, and valuations coordinator at Phillips; Pace Gallery executive assistant Danielle Forest; Camilla Johnston, sales director at The Lapis Press; Pejman Shojaei, associate director at Kayne Griffin Corcoran; and Leslie Bergmann, assistant appraiser at Jacqueline SIlver & Associates. Congrats to all!
Here’s this week’s clue. These are two buildings. Name the artist who moved into the building on the left in 1976; and, also, name the artist who moved into the building on the right in 1970.
Email guesses to nfreeman@artnet.com. If you only know one of the artists, guess away. There might be an opportunity for partial credit this week. Winners will truly get some bragging rights—as well as, and I mean it, some extremely dope Wet Paint hats!
WE HEAR…
Installation view of “Joe Roberts: The Return of King Felix,” at Club Rhubarb, secret location, New York City. Photo by Nate Freeman.
Tony Cox has reopened his tiny project space Club Rhubarb, ensconced away in a hush-hush Chinatown location, with a show of gloriously psychedelic work by Joe Roberts, a true weirdo gem of an artist who drops a lot of acid and collaborates with Supreme … Harper’s, the gallery and rare-lit slinger founded by Harper Levine, will be opening its third location at 534 West 22nd Street in Chelsea, right between Lehmann Maupin and Hauser & Wirth, while keeping its spots on the Upper East Side and in East Hampton … Heritage Auctions has snapped up all of Paddle8’s trove of client bidding activity, providing the Dallas-based company with perhaps the only valuable parcel from the fire sale of assets once held by the now-bankrupt art platform … Montez Press Radio, the beloved Dimes Square-based pirate transmission service, is hosting a Halloween fundraiser at Honey’s, the Bushwick meadery, on October 31 … collector Ray McGuire is running for mayor of New York, and has secured the backing of Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, who will act as co-chair of the campaign … the rise of your scribe’s stomping grounds on Henry Street continues: smell expert Andreas Keller will soon open a gallery called Olfactory Art Keller in a former salon at 25 Henry, and the delightful closet-sized eatery L’ito’s has opened at 83 Henry, whipping up some fantastic sandwiches—we’re partial to the Morty …
The future home of Olfactory Art Keller. Photo by Nate Freeman.
SPOTTED
Marcus Jahmal and Anderson Cooper, in Jahmal’s studio. Photo courtesy Instagram.
Anderson Cooper stopping by Marcus Jahmal’s studio along with Almine Rech director Paul de Froment—Cooper must have been visiting before he starts the three-week block of CNN appearances before the election *** Lucien Smith paying another visit to High Fashion Concepts LLC, the family office of the Mugrabi family *** Musician Mark Ronson with a large group at art-world favorite Altro Paradiso Sunday night *** Loic Gouzer trying to find his mantra on the banks of the Ganges *** Darren Bader, Spencer Sweeney, and other artists celebrating Alex Eagleton on his new show at Mister Fahrenheit, the West Village project space run by advisor Phyllis Lally Seevers—the artist even made a big pot of fish stew for the small outdoor gathering *** That precise nexus of art and lit figures at the book party for Stephanie LaCava’s novel The Superrationals—including Thea Westreich Wagner and Ethan Wagner, Arden Wohl and Jonah Freeman, writers Natasha Stagg and Christopher Bollen, and McNally Jackson proprietor Sarah McNally—in the dusk-fallen Elizabeth Street Garden *** Chloe Sevigny posing on Instagram in a get-out-the-vote shirt designed by Marc Hundley ***
Chloe Sevigny in a shirt by Marc Hundley. Photo courtesy Instagram.
PARTING SHOT
