Eye of the Sixties: Richard Bellamy and the Transformation of Modern Art

by Judith E. Stein

A man with a preternatural ability to find emerging artists, Richard Bellamy was one of the first advocates of pop art, minimalism, and conceptual art. The founder and director of the fabled Green Gallery on Fifty-Seventh Street, the witty, poetry-loving art lover became a legend of the avant-garde, showing the work of artists such as Mark di Suvero, Claes Oldenburg, James Rosenquist, Donald Judd, and others.

Born to an American father and a Chinese mother in a Cincinnati suburb, Bellamy moved to New York and made a life for himself between the Beat orbits of Provincetown and white-glove events such as the Guggenheim's opening gala. He partied with Norman Mailer, was friends with Diane Arbus and Yoko Ono, and frequently hosted or performed in Allan Kaprow's happenings. Always more concerned with art than with making a profit, Bellamy withdrew when the market mushroomed around him, letting his contemporaries and friends, such as Leo Castelli and Sidney Janis, capitalize on the stars he first discovered. Bellamy's life story is a fascinating window into the transformation of art in the late twentieth century.

Based on decades of research and hundreds of interviews with artists, friends, dealers, and lovers, Judith Stein's Eye of the Sixties recovers the elusive Bellamy and tells the story of a counterculture that became the mainstream.

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"Bellamy had an understanding of art and a very fine sense of discovery. There was nobody like him, I think. I certainly consider myself his pupil." --Leo Castelli

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Biography, Cultural

380 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 12, 2016

Reviews

[Robert Boyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stein's writing is lifeless and boring and fails to do justice to her interesting subject, Richard Bellamy.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad, interesting legacy of a non-materialist who created a paradigm shift in Modern Art...

[patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fact-filled and extensively researched. That being said, it read like a textbook.

A fitting video companion to this book is the 1973 film "Painters Painting," available on youtube. No Bellamy in the film though.

[Gravity · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brisk foray into the art world of the 50s and 60s. Filled with many characters you already know especially if you are fond of art world biographies. The unexpected treat was the relish with which Stein used the platform of Dick Bellamy's influence to delve into mini-biographies of the (too) few women who were part of the very insular, very masculine world of minimalism. Her brief sketches are the highlight of the book and left me wanting more!

[Courtney Conroy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting, if at times tedious, portrait of an under-the-radar figure at the center of many of the most celebrated movements in mid-century American art. Coincidentally, I picked it up in time for it to be a great companion to the recently released "The Price of Everything," which touches on a number of the same central figures — Larry Poons, Robert and Ethel Scull, etc. One notable issue with the narrative is the glossing of Ethel Scull — described throughout (when she is described at all) as variably a nag or a dilettante, unsupportive of Bob's art world involvement, disgusted by the eccentrics that surround them or drawn to the socialite position without a real emotional investment in or understanding of "Art." This would be OK — it's a biography of Dick Bellamy, not the Sculls — but Stein makes a point to note at the conclusion Ethel's unfair treatment during divorce proceedings, her name omitted from the (in)famous collection credited with changing the art market irrevocably. Which begs the question — what has Stein done in the preceding pages to show us what credit is due/develop Ethel? The two most impressive parts of the book are the below quote and a desire to know more about Ethel Scull. Worth it.

"It was Kafka who taught me that at any moment banality might turn sinister, for existence was not meant to be unfailingly genial."

[David Krajicek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stein's remarkable research gives weight and depth to this bio of an important but largely overlooked figure from the contemporary American art scene of the 1950s to '90s. Dick Bellamy pops up, Zelig-like, in the lives and/or work of nearly every important artist of his era. In addition to its intimate portrait of Bellamy, Stein's book functions as a reader-friendly survey of modern art history.

[Larissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An elusive book about an elusive person. Basically delicious. Thank you to Alanna Heiss for introducing me to Richard Bellamy in the last year of his life, which was the first year of my life spent around contemporary art. I remember his gracious, tentative, whiskery presence.

[Tosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb biography on a New York City art dealer and visionary Richard Bellamy. There are people I should know about, and for some odd reason, and compared to the other huge dealers at the time, I never heard of Bellamy. Which is to be frank, quite idiotic of me. He brought the world, or to be more specific Manhattan, the world of Claes Oldenburg, Donald Judd, Dan Flavin, James Rosenquist and many others. The beauty of Bellamy is that he was mostly fascinated with art and the artists - and could care less about the financial aspect of that world, or what it could bring to someone's pocket or piggy bank. His devotion (as a dealer) and friendship with Mark di Suvreo as well as Alfred Leslie is a classic relationship between dealer and artist. It seems he had an eye on the bigger picture, and author Judith E. Stein captures that essence of Bellamy. Throughout the narrative we get Warhol, Yoko Ono, Yayoi Kusama, Jasper Johns, and others. If Bellamy didn't take on these artists for his "Green" gallery, he worked hard on their behalf to find them representation.

And of course, the other reason why I like this book is the character of Bellamy. Usually drunk, often depressed, hysterical, insane dresser, and quite eccentric behavior. His relationship with Robert (and kind of Ethel) Scull, the major collectors of art in Manhattan, is equally fascinating. Robert was the secret backer to Bellamy's Green gallery, and it's interesting in the up's and down's of that gallery and Bellamy's mental state - they remained friends. It seems Bellamy didn't base his personal relationships on money alone - and this is what gives his character a great heart. Also, he was a very handsome man, who in photos reminds me of Jarvis Cocker a bit. Tall, nice hair, half-Chinese, and great taste in glass frames - he must have been a striking figure when he walked in a room. This was such an enjoyable read. It's nice to spend time with a fascinating character in a very active era of the visual arts in New York City.

[Pixie Alexander]

An animated, warm, intimate account of Bellamy and his community of artists. A great window into an exciting time in the art world, and a portrait of a (almost haplessly) pivotal figure.
The man himself is an interesting study in contradictions and intuition, and his story brings some illumination to the mystery of networks, gatekeepers, and dynamic relationships in the art world, and how art history is made. Back when New York was still a small town.