left, author james baldwin {1924 - 1987}, photograph of james in harlem dated 1963. right, photographer richard avedon {1923 - 2004}, self-portrait dated 1980.
both favorite artists of mine. remarkably, both attended dewitt clinton high school in the bronx and worked together on the school paper: the magpie. they colllaborated later, in 1964, on the book titled Nothing Personal. long out of print and tres cher.
baldwin
our weekend began at a reading by the author Jewelle Gomez, of her play-in-progress about baldwin, titled 'waiting for giovanni'. it's a play that takes place in the mind of james baldwin, just before the publication of his groundbreaking novel of love and betrayal, 'giovanni's room' (1956).
the reading was hosted by peter stein and brian freeman in their lovely home. peter stein is director of the san francisco jewish film festival, and brian freeman is author, actor, and founding member of pomo afro homos.
here are a few pix, beginning with a shot of the afrosolo theater company artistic director and founder, thomas robert simpson. on august 8, a staged reading of 'waiting for giovanni' will be a feature of the 16th annual afro solo arts festival. next is event host brian freeman, in yellow shirt, pictured here with a guest. here are some event guests, post reading, discussing baldwin amongst themselves. front right, wearing a jean jacket is the adorable young actor thandiwe thomas de shazor. and, finally, the vegan with jewelle.
avedon
when did museums get so expensive!!?? have you seen the avedon show @ sfmoma? do, it's worth the money.
first we had lunch in the cafe museo, the museum's restaurant. oh my goddess the food, ambience and music were terrific! i had a portobello panini with a side of sauteed spinach and cafe au lait. perfect!
below, the vegan on her birthday, in front of avedon self-portraits, then harrison in the gallery. and then the incomparable robin tattersall and suzy parker (in dior), shot at the place de la concorde in paris, august 1957. i think this picture is MAGIC!
you know suzy parker. but do you know robin? robin tattersall, while a medical student in london, took modeling jobs and heard about modeling opportunities in paris. upon entering bazaar magazine's paris office he met avedon and parker. avedon took a test photo of tattersall holding parker in his arms and hired tattersall on the spot. tattersall modeled three seasons in paris before becoming new york's most highly paid and sought after male model. in the early 60s he returned to england and completed his post graduate surgical training.
we spent a lot of time in the gallery and then took off for dinner, which was at the restaurant betelnut on union street. what a divine treat for a vegan! standouts were the crispy fried cauliflour (pictured left), and veganized sri lankan claypot which i loved so much that i forgot to take a picture until i'd eaten fully half of this creamy rich and oh so savory yellow curry dish. btw, harrison, a fried calimari lover like no other, loved my cauliflour more than her calimari. oh, and i must add that our waiter was totally plugged into vegan cuisine and helpful. much of the menu is vegan - there is no cheese @ betelnut - and much more can be created to accommodate the vegan with no attitude, no problem. try it out.
oh, and helen mirren says: go vegan. why not?
