1979 Graham Gallery Christmas Exhibit - Artist R. O. Blechman

In 1979 Edward Gorey was invited by the Graham Gallery in New York City to be one of four artists included in a Christmastime group exhibition. The show opened on December 19, 1979  and was on display through January 5, 1980. Mr. Gorey had participated in two previous group shows at Graham (1974 & 1975) both of which he produced a quantity of new works specifically for the exhibitions. For this exhibition, Mr. Gorey sold preexisting works (notably, original artwork from his book The Broken Spoke) and included pieces that had not sold at the two previous Graham exhibitions.

 

I have been trying to locate a list for the 1975 and 1979 shows at Graham without success. Sadly, the gallery is no longer in operation and information relating to what was exhibited by any of the artists is elusive. I was therefore delighted when a piece of original artwork by R.O. Blechman from the 1979 Graham show appeared at Swann Auction Galleries this past summer and I was able to add it to my collection. The piece was consigned by the artist himself, who at this time is 90 years old. Included with the artwork is an announcement card from the show that was signed by all four artists, including Edward Gorey.

This delicately executed piece is related to the image Mr. Blechman created for the invitation. Fluttering in a vertical line are a series of ribbons entwined with holly, forming a line of dollar signs in a subtle comment on the holiday season. The artwork, drawn in red ink, is only 3/4" x 4" on a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of thin paper.

Oscar Robert Blechman (professionally known as R. O. Blechman) is an animation artist & director, illustrator, writer, and cartoonist whose works have been seen by millions of people and has had retrospectives in The Museum of Modern Art, among others. In 2018, Mr. Blechman was interviewed about his long career in this article: artofthespot.com/ro-blechman.html

 Here is a lovely Christmas greeting created in 1966 by Mr. Blechman for CBS.