Picture of the Week #22 "Waiting for Princess Grace"

Picture of the Week #22 "Waiting for Princess Grace" Monte Carlo, Monaco 1971 Signed and Stamped. Years before I knew people who knew Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco I visited the incredible storybook Palace. They were not there that day. The Royals were expected back later in the week. This lone guard stood waiting. I never had the opportunity to see them, but secretly like so many others I envied their lifestyle. It was so different than growing up in Brooklyn.

Picture of the Week #21 "Gazing in the Getty"

Picture of the Week #21 "Gazing in the Getty" Los Angeles, California 2008 Signed and Stamped. As someone who is obsessed by the human condition, photographing unsuspecting people acting naturally, has always been one of my favorite things to do. 

Picture of the Week #20 "The Meat Sniffer"

Picture of the Week #20 "The Meat Sniffer" Paris, France 1970 Signed and Stamped - Some of you might recognize this image as I painted it years ago. It was also shown on a poster for a one man show that I had in Santa Monica back in 1979. I was walking down rue de Buci in Paris with my ever present camera hanging around my neck when I saw this old Frenchman in a beret walking with a knapsack and carrying a newspaper under his arm. He stopped in this butcher shop and as soon as the butchers turned away he leaned over and smelled the meat. Click. I caught the image forever. It was and always will be one of my favorites. Sadly this butcher shop is no longer there.

Picture of the Week #19 "Roy Lichtenstein Pop Legend"

Picture of the Week #19 "Roy Lichtenstein Pop Legend" Venice, California 1978 I was fortunate to know Roy, one of the nicest, most down to earth greats of the art world. The picture of Roy was taken when I attended his vernisage at the old ACE gallery in Venice California. The POP image behind him was actually taken years later at the Petersen Automotive Museum. I do not know if it is an authentic Lichtenstein, but it certainly looked like one. I put the two together as I loved the contrast between his serious expression and that of the cartooned image behind him. I remember picking him up for lunch when he was painting a mural on the wall of the old Creative Artist Agency lobby in Beverly Hills. He asked if I wanted to fill in one of his dots. Instantly I began to take my jacket off and he gave me that wry smile and said, no let's eat, I'm hungry. I never did get to contribute to that mural, but he and I stayed in touch until his untimely passing. A great loss to the art world.

Picture of the Week #18 "Checking Details in the Hong Kong Museum"

Picture of the Week #18 "Checking Details in the Hong Kong Museum" Hong Kong, China 2006 I was in Hong Kong to attend the sale of one my Chinese paintings at the Christies auction. When not hyping the sale I was checking out what the local artists were up to. I came in to this room at the Museum that was completed covered with what I thought was a simple geometric pattern. Upon closer inspection I was to see that they were words written in circles. But, not just words but vulgar expressions and curse words. "Coc*#@cker and Mot@e^fu*@+r" were integrated into the pattern. I know something about art but for the life of me I don't understand why crass vulgarity is used when it is not to shock or to relate a story but to be a part of a decorative pattern. This couple were obviously mesmerized by reading what the artist had to say. I wasn't. After a brief perusal I was off. 

Picture of the Week #17 "Alone in Leningrad"

Picture of the Week #17 "Alone in Leningrad" Leningrad / St. Petersburg, Russia 1988 In February 1988 I attended the first Soviet - American film interchange in over 40 years. I was there with a celebrity contingent and was to show my films for the first time in Russia. We were escorted around and taken to all of the wonderful sights including the remarkable Hermitage. This picture clearly shows the stark reality of Russia in the winter. This was right after Gorbachev opened things up for Americans traveling to the Soviet Union. 

Picture of the Week #16 "Somebody's Baby"

Picture of the Week #16 "Somebody's Baby" Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York 2006  In 2006 I was invited to show my movie "Boardwalk" that starred Ruth Gordon, Lee Strasberg and Janet Leigh at the Coney Island Film Festival. This was the first time the film had been shown since it was first released back in 1979. Since I acquired all rights back along with my original investor, we were hoping for a distributor to see it and to pick it up for DVD and Cable release. That didn't happen, but the screening was a gigantic success. I received a 5 minute standing ovation and the audience stayed to ask me questions for the next 45 minutes. It was a wonderful feather in my film cap and validated my love for this film. The girl pictured was the first person you saw when you went inside the former Freak Show theater. An extraordinary venue for such a classical film.