I first met Edward Albee in 1990. I was running the Philippe Staib Gallery in Soho and was giving sculptor Zero Higashida his first solo show in New York. Albee knew him, so I cold-called to ask if he'd write something for my catalogue. He answered the phone himself and then shocked me by actually saying yes.
I arranged a studio visit and a car to take us out to Brooklyn. We sat together in one of the longest drives I've ever had. Albee was, like his plays, concise and crisp in his conversation; and reserved. And I — well, after all, what does one say to Edward Albee on first meeting? "Nice plays,"? "Love that Martha"? I don't think so.
Everything went well and he wrote a lovely short essay which I published, and which Albee, apparently never one to waste anything, included in his collection of essays in 2005. I ran into Mr. Albee often over the years, and in 2011 was planning a project between the two of them that sadly never materialized. Instead, Zero produced a series of sculptures that were to be a "Spiritual Portrait of Edward Albee" and were shown at the Kouros Gallery.
At the end of the first sitting, Mr. Albee obliged us by giving his thoughts on World Peace (for yet another project), the content of the quick video excerpt here. One of the last times I saw Mr. Albee I began to compliment his terrific Play About the Baby when he stopped me to ask if I'd seen his The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? which was then running. Looking directly at me, he said "Well. You must see it; it's an important play." It was and is — as he was and will forever be; thank you, Edward Albee, for everything.
I arranged a studio visit and a car to take us out to Brooklyn. We sat together in one of the longest drives I've ever had. Albee was, like his plays, concise and crisp in his conversation; and reserved. And I — well, after all, what does one say to Edward Albee on first meeting? "Nice plays,"? "Love that Martha"? I don't think so.
Everything went well and he wrote a lovely short essay which I published, and which Albee, apparently never one to waste anything, included in his collection of essays in 2005. I ran into Mr. Albee often over the years, and in 2011 was planning a project between the two of them that sadly never materialized. Instead, Zero produced a series of sculptures that were to be a "Spiritual Portrait of Edward Albee" and were shown at the Kouros Gallery.
At the end of the first sitting, Mr. Albee obliged us by giving his thoughts on World Peace (for yet another project), the content of the quick video excerpt here. One of the last times I saw Mr. Albee I began to compliment his terrific Play About the Baby when he stopped me to ask if I'd seen his The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? which was then running. Looking directly at me, he said "Well. You must see it; it's an important play." It was and is — as he was and will forever be; thank you, Edward Albee, for everything.
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