JAMES FREY, ART WORLD DARLING
Ever wonder what James Frey — the author who went through a very public shaming at the hands of Oprah Winfrey when it was revealed that his memoir,A Million Little Pieces, had been fabricated — is up to these days? Well, among other things, he has moved aggressively into the art world. Along with Andy Spade and Bill Powers, Frey bankrolled the Half Gallery at 208 Forsyth Street in New York’s booming Lower East Side. The new space opened last month with a show of paintings by Matt Damhave, co-founder of the fashion label Imitation of Christ. According to an article in the New York Sun, Frey has also invested the earnings from his memoirs well — that is, in artworks by the likes of Matthew Barney, Cecily Brown, Damien Hirst and Ed Ruscha.
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| Robert Hawkins May 14th – June 14th Opening reception May 14th 6 – 8pm |
McWhinnie’s Frey has a new book coming out from HarperCollins, this one a baldly fictional narrative collage about life in L.A. titled Bright Shiny Morning, and if he manages to resurrect himself it will be no small part due to sympathy from the art world. Among his champions are art-book publisher extraordinaire John McWhinnie, who is putting out a deluxe edition of Bright Shiny Morning, and artist Richard Prince, who is doing the cover for the book and who says he counts Frey as a personal friend.
McWhinnie’s collaboration with Frey is titled Wives, Wheels, Weapons, and pairs three sections of the new novel (including one about an adulterous affair that was deemed too hot for the American edition) with photo illustrations by fashion photographer Terry Richardson. The book is priced at $150 for the hardcover and $75 for softcover, both in an edition of 1,000. In addition, five copies of an even-more-exclusive “Wife / Girlfriend” edition, accompanied by art works from Prince and Richardson, are signed by all three men. These are priced at $30,000-$50,000.