Stéphane Mandelbaum at the DRAWING CENTER

James Kalm came of age artistically during a tour of duty in Germany in the mid-1970s. Seeing the works of artists like George Grosz, Otto Dix, and Max Beckmann, had prominent influences in his early development. Coming to New York a few years later, your correspondent witnessed firsthand the tsunami of the European Trans-Avantgarde, and East Village Neo-Expressionism. But rarely has the spirit of a zeitgeist been captured more poignantly than in the drawings of Stéphane Mandelbaum. An artist from a mixed Jewish background, Mandelbaum was a child prodigy, who drifted at the peripheries of Brussel’s underground punk scene. He documented the denizens of this milieu and portrayed also Nazi leaders, poets and pornographic filmmakers. Ultimately, getting caught up in an art heist gone bad, he is murdered by local gangsters at the age of twenty-five. This exhibition, curated by Laura Hauptman, was inspired by an earlier 2022 Mandelbaum show at the Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt Germany. A musical introduction is provided by “Go Alan Go” Zavodsky. This program was recorded January 14, 2024. #jameskalmreport #jameskalmroughcut #lorenmunk

[@rolandsohier]

thanx James! What's with ur voice? Take care now! Love from Holland

[@tonsfocus]

Decadence combined with a raw nerve of historical trauma - it feels so earnest, fleeting, and confessional. Love seeing the handwriting plus marginalia. Thanks for yet another new name. Thank you James and Kate.

[@slipton6493]

Stunning work! Thank you James and Kate!

[@michaelrowe1907]

Thank you Kate and James and Loren

[@kimwilkie9819]

Thank you Kate!

[@johnjones3714]

As usual your commentary is very insightful James. Thank you Kate

[@RonaldGosses]

AWESOME ! Thanks for showing.

[@TheRk1111]

Thank you

[@star_wars_miniatures]

These look amazing 😍😍

[@peterkiil6691]

Loved it

[@agentike2]

Francis Bacon meets Robert Crumb seasoned with Basquiat

[@alexrose9487]

jesus, NY busker's are the worst....incredible art work, thank you kate, love from eire

[@jimhresco1728]

Careful with the naughty bits. You don't want to go through that again. Also this show gets around. It was also at the Pompidou in Paris.

[@denisceballos9745]

He was sort of conjuring up a rendezvous with the dark side. Depicting guns, nooses, hooks, Yukio Mishima, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Nazis; sort of a fascination with violence and death. Good draftsman, though.

[@cliffdariff74]

Not sure why he would want to draw Nazi portraits.... on large paper. I don't get it. Maybe attention. Strange.

[@sublimeister9630]

Impressive drawing skills, but it’s still just regular pictorial style with some political and sexual edginess to it. Grosz is still more stylistic, even Francis Bacon. His untimely end sounds more like a script from a Tom and Jerry cartoon. 🙏🏼😊

[@jameskalmroughcut]

I think at the time (early eighties) actually being able to draw in a " regular pictorial style" was s form of confrontation with the establishment avant-garde...JK

[@andrewjohn4876]

I see you censored my comment. Thanks Kate!

[@jameskalmroughcut]

Hey @andrewwjohn4876 I didn't censor your comment, but since my channel's takedown, the overlords here, seem to be doing more censoring, but it ain't me...JK

[@andrewjohn4876]

@@jameskalmroughcut sorry about that James … it would of been deemed it ‘hate speech’ no doubt because I mentioned the H , P, and N ( not THAT N word ) words. Oh well never mind as suicidal ( might of just blown it ) Kurt once said.

[@cliffdariff74]

​.. JK ... your channel take down??! I didn't know. Is there more info on what's happened? Kindly let us know. Thanks. Been watching ur channel over ten years now. Best of luck.

[@JorgeAntonioReyesAbreu]

Ralph Steadman is British! Not american 🥸✌🏻

[@jameskalmroughcut]

Okay thanks @user-ef4pf8xg8e for the clarification. I do think Steadman could have been one of the examples for Mandelbaum's transgressive style...JK

[@JorgeAntonioReyesAbreu]

@@jameskalmroughcut I wasn’t aware of Mandelbaum’s work to be honest, but I agree with you. I do see the similarities between both. Great Video as always! 👍🏻

[@yorgosGreece]

Intéressant & SCHLECHT !