| During the period between March and May of 1999, Greg Lundgren painted nine
paintings on 10" x 10" pine boards. Upon completion, he photographed
the paintings and carefully packaged them in a white cardboard box. Also included
in the box was a letter, a disposable camera, and a return envelope, postage paid.
The letter was addressed to the curator of the Leo Castelli Gallery in Manhattan,
and read as follows:
Dear Ms. Poll,
Enclosed you will find nine recently completed paintings. As the artist responsible
for their creation, I would like to give them to you. As the new owner, you may
throw them in the nearest trash can, give them away to friends , paint over them,
sell them, or smash them to pieces. I do not wish for their return, or expect
in exchange any monetary compensation.
Enclosed you will also find one disposable camera. I send it with the sincere
request that you may use the camera to document the fate of these nine paintings
and return the camera in the provided SASE. The photographs are to be included
in an exhibition taking place in Seattle this summer. You will be accredited as
the recipient of the paintings as well as the photographer of their fate. I apologize
for any inconvenience this package may cause, and hope that your inclusion in
this experiment is not entirely unwelcome. Opening night of the exhibition is
June 24, 1999.
Sincerely, Greg Lundgren
The exhibit at Seattle Center was part of the Arts Edge Festival, highlighting
emerging contemporary artists from the northwest. During this festival, full scale
photographs of the nine original paintings were on display along with a copy of
the letter and the three photographs returned from the disposable camera. Two
of the pictures displayed the nine paintings proped up against a wall in the Castelli
Gallery, the third photo is shown below. There was no note or letter included
in the returned package. |
