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See The Personal Art Collection Of The Hotel Chelsea's Late Stanley Bard
By
Scott Heins
Published Apr 18, 2017
Modified Apr 18, 2017
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Courtesy of Freeman's
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By
Scott Heins
Published Apr 18, 2017
Modified Apr 18, 2017
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When Stanley Bard passed away in February, a bit of New York's bohemian past was lost with him. Bard devoted much of his life to managing the Hotel Chelsea, the iconic 19th Century inn on West 23rd Street that long been a mecca for artists, actors, writers, and musicians. Movements like beat poetry, modernist art, and punk rock all owe Bard a deep debt for running a loose ship and keeping the rates low. Many have spent years—even decades—living at the iconic hotel.
During his 50-year stint at the Chelsea (he was ousted by the facility's board of directors in 2007), Bard acquired a large personal collection of artworks, many of which were gifts from personal friends and tenants or guests. One hundred of those works will be sold at auction in Philadelphia, but New Yorkers can catch a gallery-style glimpse of them before the bidding starts next month. Included in the lots are paintings from Tom Wesselmann and Larry Rivers, a Barry Flanagan sculpture, paper pieces from Christo and Philip Taaffe, and more. Each one is a piece of the Hotel Chelsea’s history, and likely would never have been created if it weren’t for the welcoming arts scene that Bard strove to create. You can see Bard showing off some of his art collection in this video, taken while he still had his office in the hotel:
Bard died in Boca Raton, Florida at the age of 82. One longtime Hotel Chelsea resident, Ed Hamilton, described him to Gothamist as being "survived by thousands of people in the arts who have called the Hotel Chelsea their home—for a night, a month, a year, or for several decades—and who will continue to honor his memory in their lives and their arts for many years to come."
Hamilton referred to the Hotel as "the greatest experiment in bohemian living in the history of New York, if not the world," adding, "As long as the hotel stands, the spirit of Stanley and his undying dedication to the arts he so loved will live on."
Bard's personal collection will be on display at Rogue Space, located at 508-526 West 26th Street, 9E-9F in Chelsea from May2-5th
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chelsea hotel
stanley bard
Scott Heins
Scott Heins is a freelance photo and video journalist based in New York City, and a frequent contributor to Gothamist + WNYC. His work often centers around labor rights, housing, and policing. In 2018-2019 he traveled to four states while covering a wave of public school teachers strikes, with work featured in The New York Times, The Intercept, Getty Images, Splinter, and Bloomberg Photos. Scott is a dues-paying member of the National Writers Union's Freelance Solidarity Project.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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