Hoisting the Colors at NADA with Joe Fyfe

Half an hour before NADA New York was set to close its doors Sunday, artist (and longstanding artcritical contributing editor and review panelist) Joe Fyfe enlisted my aid in the hanging of an extra work at Galerie Christian Lethert’s booth – actually the unutilized opposite outer wall of LA dealers TIF SIGFRIDS at #507.  Fyfe was showing several of his painted constructions with the Cologne dealer in the company of Imi Knoebel: Nice company, I remarked.  “Actually I first started going to art fairs in New York just because it was the only way to get to see Knoebels in those days,” Joe responded, acknowledging his reverence for the legendary German minimalist.  A reverence that didn’t extend, mind you, to breaking up a grid of small framed pieces to steal a couple of screws for his flag.  “Just stand at a distance and make sure it isn’t too crooked” he said, fumbling to get traction between a recalcitrant screw and his electric screw driver- eventually resorting to hammering with its heel. A little uneven wouldn’t hurt, I volunteered, contemplating the blocks of blue and turquoise fabric loosely adhering to the Stars and Stripes, as it goes with the provisional look.  “If I hear the word ‘provisional’ one more time I’ll scream,” he said.  Oriane Stender told him to pose with his flag for a photo.  “Does this mean I’ll be all over Facebook” he asks in mild disdain, acquiescing nonetheless.