This morning our friend Helene Forbes went to the great art party in the sky, beyond the invisible red-velvet role of knowledge that keeps some inside the art world and others OUT! She will be missed. Her keen art eye and sharp wit were legendary. She was close with, Senior Art Critic of the New Yorker and Face book , superstar, Jerry Saltz and she made time to take me, Frau Kolb, gallery hoping after sitting for this watercolor at a Chelsea resturant last year in late September, or early October, the day that Lisa Yuksavage opened at David Zwirner. I know because, I went to that opening with her and Leonard Barton. They were good company. We laughed a lot and both Mr. Barton and Ms. Forbes were brimming with eloquet spot-on commentary. I could only listen and laugh. That night, Helene introduced me to Gregory de la Haba, an art-world notable, artist with wonderful red curls and perfect Caribbean Spanish, like me.
I am so glad that I got to meet Helene. She introduced me to the work of Trudy Benson at Mike Weiss Gallery in NYC. The only regret that I have is that the last time I saw her, I did not take the time to really say, “hello.” It was at the Fountain art fair, which I covered thanks to a kind invitation by an artist I admire. I saw Helene. I nodded. Winked. And, made a gesture like I was going to come chat with her. She rolled her eyes, as though to say, “Yeah RIGHT!” That made me chuckle. I was surrounded by artists that I crave contact with. I was lifted by the sea of interesting people and dropped into a deep conversation on Duchamp with artist, Brian Goings.
I never got to say “Good bye.”