Collage

Envelope (recto), Meditations on Earth I. 5 x 7 inches. Collage with gouache and colored pencil. 1988. First part of the third mediation in a series of four meditations on the four elements that chronicle the mythic life of artist, Adrian Kellard.

Madonna Triptych, Meditations on Earth IV. 5 x 20 inches. Collage with gouache, metallic marker, and colored pencil. 1988. Fourth part of the third mediation in a series of four meditations on the four elements that chronicle the mythic life of artist, Adrian Kellard.

The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian, Meditations on Fire I.
7 x 10 inches. Laser copy collage, stamps, and metallic marker. 1989. First part of the fourth meditation in a series of four meditations on the four elements that chronicle the mythic life of artist, Adrian Kellard.

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Fall of the Met, Meditations on Fire V (right). 20 x 7 inches. Laser copy collage, acetate, and press-type. 1989. Fifth part of the fourth in a series of four meditations on the four elements that chronicle the mythic life of artist, Adrian Kellard.

When I first met Adrian Kellard in 1987, Adrian knew he had AIDS and that despite his relative good health at the time, he also knew that he might not live to see his work recognized in the way he wanted. Adrian wanted to be in the Met. I was, of course, certain that Adrian’s work would one day hang in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and I think I even had Adrian convinced. Numerous cards were sent to bolster this belief. After all, once Adrian’s work was actually a part of the Metropolitan’s collection, the past would be viewed from an entirely different vantage point. So why should we, ourselves, not enjoy the same view as would eventually be partaken of by history, only now. Let history catch up when it was able.

The greatest art offers us images by which to imagine our lives.

—Lewis Hyde, The Gift

Still, in the end this was not enough. Adrian’s gallery was unable to get Adrian’s work into the Met. Adrian was down to 30 t-cells, and Adrian wanted to see his work in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art during his own lifetime. My response was Meditations on Fire and in particular,

the collage Fall of the Met. The collage was sent to Adrian to assure him that his work would become part of the collection of the Metropolitan and that if any disaster ever befell the museum, his work would be the first work to be rescued. In this sense, Fall of the Met, is prophetic in tone. It possesses all the elements of the genre of history painting, but it commemorates a future history that has not yet come to fruition.

“Success is the achievement of a goal known, open given. Failure... achievement of a goal
not known, hidden to be discovered.
Friendship is to know this.
Prophecy is about this.
Spirituality means this.

—Leo Bronstein, Kaballah and Art

Adrian always said that no matter what I gave him, it was always turned out to be the best thing he had ever gotten. This time I knew that would be the case. Ironically, whether stolen or lost the card never reached Adrian. At first I had the post office searching for the card and I sent Adrian post cards to reassure him that his fire card would be found. I even sent out my own “search parties” in the form of postcard scouts but to no avail. The original card was never recovered.

Adrian did eventually receive his fire card. The entire Meditations on Fire pictured in this gallery is a recreation and elaboration of a first version of the card that was lost in the mail.

Click here to view the complete fire card.