Robbin Murphy
73 East Second Street #9
New York, NY 10003
murph@artnetweb.com
http://artnetweb.com/murph

Robert Gober
c/o Paula Cooper Gallery
534 West 21st Street
New York, New York 10011

12/6/97

Dear Robert,

I thought you might find this an interesting annecdote:

I was going through the Dannheisser collection at MoMA with my partner in artnetweb, Remo Campopiano, and his girlfriend, Sharon. She lives in Seekonk, Mass. and is the town librarian. Remo lives up there with her part time and the rest of the time in our office on Broome Street (don't tell anybody).

Sharon wants to have a better understanding of contemporary art and so offered to pay my way into MoMA (can you believe it's $9.50!). We went to the Schiele exhibit where I was fascinated by the landscapes and Remo liked one of the paintings. Sharon didn't say much but did ask why he was thrown in jail. I thought it was pretty evident but I guess not when it's art.

Up in the Dannheisser collection Remo told Sharon there were a lot of important names there. We wondered around. I liked seeing the Naumans, especially the "rat, bat" thing but it was different than I'd remembered. Remo and I chuckled over Lawrence Weiner. We worked with him on a project up at the MIT List center and Remo is convinced he's a phoney after talking with him.

I was surprised at how boring I found most of the work. So bland. I don't know. Is it OK not to like Cindy Sherman all that much? Remo and I met up in the Jeff Koons room and he wanted to know what was so great about him. I couldn't say. He took me by the sleeve into your room and said "I really like this space." I asked him why. He couldn't say. I think it had something to do with him considering himself a builder instead of a sculptor even though he went to Cranbrook. I told him about your sheet of plywood and how I'd always thought of that as the perfect work of art. He understood what I was thinking. He was fascinated by your room and surveyed it like one carpenter judging another's work.

Sharon didn't get any of it but she's very polite and willing to put some time into understanding (and into Remo). We went out in search of a cheap place to eat in midtown.

Robbin Murphy