Comments on: Semina Culture

By: Lucy B.

Lucy B. — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 21:24:08 +0000

I am trying to trace any heirs of the painter Arthur “Artie” Richer, who died in 1965. He was a friend of Berman and Herms, and showed at the Ferus Gallery.

His wife, Betty, died shortly after he did, but I believe that they were survived by four children. If anyone knows the names and/or contact information for any of Richer’s children, I would be most grateful.

By: Kimberly T. Erick's Sister

Kimberly T. Erick's Sister — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:54:30 +0000

Ben Talbert did die of a drug overdose just 3 days after spending the night with his oldest brother Leonard, sister-in-law & their daughter.

What is unfortunate was that Ben was so far gone on drugs that he saw fit to remove all the medicines kept in the house.

He was rude, obnoxious, vulgar & egotistical.

His work is now on display at the Robert Berman Gallery at the Bergamont Studios in Santa Monica on Michigan Ave. “Love and Luck Revisited”

The work is a compilation of a show which was closed down in the 60′s for its blatant vulgarity.

The work itself is technically tight, the flow & form of the paintings is strong and works well with the excellent use of color.

The content leaves much to be desired….For some reason curator Hal Glicksman believes that the public is now ready for Ben’s work. However, the work is blatantly sexual, loud, vulgar, angry, and shouts of misogyny. I’m not sure who the intended audience is, but I’m sure it is quite limited.

Also on display are several Anti-war assemblages which were on display in Ben’s living space. Unfortunately, the premier piece of the collection , The Ace, is now housed in Utah and not available for viewing at the Berman Gallery.

I believe that it would have behooved Hal Glicksman to have called the family in order to have borrowed other pieces of Ben’s work for display, thus making the scope of the show less limited and giving the public a better idea of the scope of Ben’s work and “talent”.

By: ERICK T.

ERICK T. — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 23:51:41 +0000

AFTER FURTHER RESEARCH WAS COMPLETED IT IS KNOWN THAT MR. BEN TALBERT IN FACT DIED OF A DRUG OVERDOSE…SUBSEQUENTLY IT WAS NOT VERY LONG AFTER HE FOUGHT OFF A RARE DIEASE…WHILE IN RE-MISSION, RECOVEREY, OR THE BEGINING STAGES OF HOSPICE, OTHER DOCTORS WERE PRESCRIBING NEW TYPES OF MEDICATIONS (OBVIOUSLY BENNY WAS NOT AGAINST TRYING NEW DRUGS) MAYBE MIXED WITH OTHER LIQUIDS AND SUBSTANCES WHICH HE WAS PARTAKING IN AT THE TIME…SYNERGYSM OR WHAT EVER YOU LIKE TO CALL IT…A TRULY SPECIAL AND TALENTED INDIVIDUAL, WHO IS ONLY KNOW BASICALLY FOR HIS WILDSIDE, ANTICS, AND HARDSHIPS. DIED A BROKE BEAT ARTIST WHO NOW IF ALIVE WOULD BE A MUTI-MILLIONARE..A FAMILIAR SONG. THIS INFORMATION WAS OBTAINED DIRECTLY FROM BEN TALBERTS SISTER-IN-LAW, WHO IS ALIVE AND LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST, BEN’S 2 BROTHERS LEONARD AND JOHNNY ARE ALSO STILL ALIVE AND WELL, ALONG WITH NEICES AND NEPHEWS.

By: ERICK T.

ERICK T. — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 23:45:39 +0000

FYI..BEAT ARTIST BEN TALBERT DID NOT DIE OF A DRUG OVERDOSE. MY PARENTS VISITED HIM NUMEROUS TIMES IS THE HOSPITAL, AS A RARE DISEASE UNFORTANTLEY TOOK HIS LIVE FROM HIM AT SUCH AN EARLY AGE. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT BEFORE YOU DEGENERATES DEGRADE A TRUE AMERICAN I-CON! PEACE BE WITH YOU BEN!

By: Michael Wilson

Michael Wilson — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:29:20 +0000

The Ferus Gallery (1957-66) Los Angeles based artist’s culture where many in the artist’s community had there first exhibitions…

By: Michael Wilson

Michael Wilson — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 03:45:03 +0000

I was a dear friend of John Reed who was part of the Fergus gallery. I am doing some research and need to know if you have any contacts for friends of John Reed, Wallace Berman, Wally Hopps, Ed Kienholtz, Hermes or others during that time. I am also doing a website dedicated to them and their endeavors during the late 50′s early 60′s
Thanks
Kind regards,
Michael Wilson
michaelwilson@wildblue.net

By: michael

michael — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 07:26:41 +0000

i have along held interest in kirby doyle and his part in beat history,and his place in bringingto the world his unique poetry .i am interested in finding any information on sharon didi morrill who like kirby was a member of wallace bermans inner circle .i last saw didi on 14th feb. 1973 in Sydney Australia at central railway station as she kissed me goodbye as my train left for Canberra .A lifetime ago I would like her to know that i survived and hope she did also. no blame now or forever didi.michael

By: jed

jed — Thu, 17 May 2007 12:12:37 +0000

Looking around the internet, I have seen Burroughs celebrate Berman as “a poetmaker,” due to his willingness to publish new writers. I have also seen the quote attributed to Michael McClure but the idea of Berman as a poetmaker definitely fits with Burroughs. Berman was one of the first to publish Burroughs and buoyed Burroughs hopes that Naked Lunch would eventually find a publisher. This is around the time of the Black Mountain Review appearance that was also very important to Burroughs’ confidence as a writer.

By: Gary Lee-Nova

Gary Lee-Nova — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 22:08:18 +0000

Jed;

With regard to your piece on Semina/Wallace Berman:

“Semina was available only by invitation, and Berman never showed his work publicly after a run-in with authorities for obscenity at a 1957 show at the Fergus Gallery. I do not know what to make exactly of this interplay of fear and fascination of the mainstream exhibited by Berman and his Circle. Any comments or thoughts would be appreciated.”

My comment and thoughts:

In those days, and well into the 1970s, if the “authorities” encountered works of art which they believed crossed the “decency” line, the wrath they inflicted on artists was nothing short of brutal. Even the ugliest portraits of police defined by William Burroughs fall short of the kind of venom and violence that artists were subjected to.

I suspect that Wallace was so traumatized after the 1957 incident that it prevented him from confidently showing his work in public ever again.

With best regards,

Gary.