ENTRIES: ►Aleksey Dayen +++ Amikam Goldman +++ Colin Moynihan +++ Dietmar Kirves +++ Clayton Patterson +++ Jan Herman

[We miss the condolences of his "girl friend" Gertrude Stein
Nothing from her was found in any newspaper or magazine]  

On January 7, 2008 ALEKSEY DAYEN wrote: BORIS DIED

On January 9, 2008 AMIKAM GOLDMAN wrote: Boris funeral was small, it was sad. I met first time, Mordechai Starobin, Shay Fridman and two family relatives. some other people were there, about 15. Mordechai said kadish, no one talked much. Mordechai said how much Boris suffered in life, and now he would come to rest. We walked down two rows, to his father's grave and then people split away.

On January 10, 2008 COLIN MOYNIHAN, New York Times, wrote:
Dietmar,

Clayton just called and also sent me a message with your e-mail address. He has probably told you that I'm a newspaper reporter for The New York Times and I am writing an obituary about Boris Lurie..

I wonder whether you could write back and let me know your thoughts about Mr. Lurie, specifically, what type of effect do you think he had as an artist and what do you think about the significance of his work..

I'm also wondering how long you've known him and what city or town in Germany you live in..

I'm planning to write this story tonight and file it tomorrow. At the moment, it looks as if it may appear in the paper over the weekend..

Thanks for being in touch. And my condolences on the death of your friend, Boris.
Regards, Colin Moynihan.

On January 11, 2008 DIETMAR KIRVES wrote:
Dear Colin,

thank you for writing. Excuse me, I'm not so perfect in your language. But here are some answers to your questions. I hope you understand me..

I'm a NO!artist and better in artworking than writing. That's why it is a problem for me to answering to all the incoming mails immediately and so on..

I personally know Boris since 1978. NO!art was in a dead phase at that time. Nothing happened with NO!shows and NO!publications. But we are in the power that NO!art must be go on. So I put together with Boris the first NO!art anthology which needed ten years with all the modifications, verifications and translations into German. All the times Boris had new ideas for the book. Than the NO!art anthology came to the light in 1988. The editor did nothing for NO!art advertisement and stapled all the books behind his book shelf. Even so I went around for stimulating people on NO!art movement over the years. Remember, NO!art has nothing to do with Fine Arts what peeps, galleries, and museums want. It was a hard way. In 1994 I got the chance for a NO!show with the NGBK society in Berlin and became money for realizing all. My wish was to do the show in an old shelter from the Second World War. The NGBK society works basic democratically and they decided to show the artworks in white cubes presented on white walls like all the galleries did it. And on the other hand they wanted to terminate the NO!art movement on the time from 1959 to 1964. That was the reason for me to go away from them. Than they do their own things in their manner without understanding what NO!art is. Boris couldn't say anything to this development because he lives far away from Berlin. Things and developments are going on in different directions. My former friends focussed more and more on Boris and specially on his holocaust past..

From this moment on Boris accepted to lines. The one with the holocaust past interest and the other one with NO!art forthcoming like me. It was a special trick of Boris to play with people against each other for seeing what will happened and who brings the most honour. OK. I accept this situation. I compiled and designed with Boris the book "NO!art in Buchenwald" and started with publishing the NO!art movement in 2000 at the world wide web under the domain no-art.info. Now I had an archive with more than 20 files which content thousands documents of photographs, autographs, letters, catalogs, etc. You can see most of them on the NO!art homepage except my large correspondence with Boris. That is more than 800 pages in German..

My thoughts about Boris: He was like me a fighter against the hypocritical intelligentsia, capitalist culture manipulation, consumerism, and other molochs. We both aim total unabashed self-expression in art leading to social involvement. No lighthearted Duchampesque Dadaists, Neodadaists, or "Pop-artists"; no cosumerism's middleclass nor Nouveau Riche Liberals' neuter background makers. But believers in the unfashionable notion of Art with capitals "NO"..

See my interview with Boris and what Boris wrote over me. You can find more infos about me when you click on my name in the NO!art movement or use the search machine on the NO!art site..

Hope to see you when I come to Manhattan this year.
Regards Dietmar Kirves

On January 13, 2008 CLAYTON PATTERSON wrote : Obit for Boris Lurie.

I added something to the guest book—  but it was too radical and they would not publish—   here is what I said.

see NY Times obit Saturday January 12th—   08.

for Boris—   we will never give up, we will never give in, we will never quite—   the struggle continues—   our voices will eventually be heard and the message will be understood—   you will be remembered—   the struggle continues.
we love you brother—   
R.I.P.
Clayton Patterson.

off the site—   I thought it was nice—   anyway—   I am working on another obit—   but I was disappointed that Gertrude is taking credit for getting the obit into the NY Times—   I had people email me and tell me how Gertrude hooked this up. I have found over the years that she says a good number of things that are not correct—  Boris used to tell me Gertrude is crazy—   I am now closer to understanding what he meant.

She also plays games between people. After this my work with the Boris Team will be over—   I am cutting my ties with these people—   Gertrude says she is in control of all the money and the art and the foundation—   fine—   and she is still more than connected to Estera—   I disagree with Estera's position on Boris, his art, and NO!art—  Estera is also, as are the rest, just careerists—  dedicated to themselves and a career—   what have they done outside of what they gotten paid to do?—   and Matthias and that film is silly—   basically dishonest—  and gives a very bad impression of Boris as an artist—   like an old man in retirement with nothing to do but shop—   I will continue with my struggle to get Boris recognized, only my efforts and commitment will be outside of all the money—   power—   and the NO!art "experts"... fuck them all—   such is life. But I will keep the faith and continue the struggle.

AS a side bar—   I got in contact with Max Michelson—   he is an old friend of Boris's—   Gertrude was telling me about Max and Boris and about Max—   when i spoke to Max—   he knew nothing of Gertrude—   never met her or talked to her. I do not have the time or the energy to play these stupid games—   let them fight over who gets what—   as non of them will do much. I used to ask Gertrude—   what has Matthias written about Boris—   other than what he got paid to write when he had the job at NGBK—   and Gertrude—   the big time dealer—   never had another show for Boris in the last 29 plus years—   she did what 2 shows? Please—   anyway—   I am moving on—   burning those bridges—   
thanks Clayton

On January 21, 2008 JAN HERMAN, Artsjournal, wrote:
Dear Dietmar Kirves,

Por nada. Your website is brilliant, as I said. It bowls me over. As I said, it's a revelation. My item pales by comparison with what you have done.

Please tell me what you feel about Boris and/or his art, so I can use it in the item. I will insert it. I wanted to quote you, but I was already late in posting the item so I didn't want to delay it any further wating for a reply.

I only have an inkling about the difficulties, rivalries and whatever within the NO!art community of critics, scholars et al. I met Reichelt briefly at Clayton's place during the "326 Years of Hip" show, and after that exchanged some brief emails with him.

Later, at his request, I posted an item about the film documentary he was involved with. Then I saw the thing. It was awful. An embarrassment. That is why I didn't mention it in "Boris Lurie, R.I.P." Out of politeness I have said nothing about the film to Reichelt. If he were to ask my opinion I would tell him.

As for his quote in "Boris Lurie, R.I.P," it came from an email he sent after the NY TImes obit appeared. I thought his commment was legitimate. I checked it with Clayton before using it, and though Clayton is not fond of Reichelt (or so it seemed to me), he judged that the comment was probably accurate.

Best wishes, and again much MUCH thanks. As you can tell, all the images of Boris's work that I posted in the item come from your site. -—  Jan

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