If you find yourself with an hour to spare in Manhattan in the near future I would suggest taking a trip to the Hirschl & Adler gallery where you will find a most compelling collection of artwork entitled Talisman of the Ward: The Album of Drawings by Edward Deeds. This colourful display is beautifully eccentric with a fascinating backstory.
Back In 1970, a 14 year old boy rescued a handmade bound album of drawings in a hand made cover from a trash heap in Springfield Missouri. By salvaging the book from the side of the road he not only preserved this amazing treasury, but eventually he saved the extraordinary artist, Edward Deeds, from obscurity. Upon it’s emergence in 2006, this previously unknown collection of works caused a stir within the art community. The true identity of the artist who had been dubbed ‘the electric pencil’ was the burning question on everyone’s lips. After a search spanning five years, the artists’ niece recognized the drawings in an article in a local newspaper as the work of her uncle.
Edward Deeds Jr. (1908-1987) Spent almost 40 years as a patient at Missouri State Hospital where he compiled his album, crudely fashioned out of a baseball cap and hospital stationary with no less than 282 hauntingly innocent drawings, on pages of official hospital ledger bearing the words ‘State Lunatic Asylum No 3’.
While Deed’s backstory brims with poetic detail, the artist’s circumstance should not overshadow the talent itself. Balance, order and repetition are paramount with unerringly straight lines brought to life with various captions creatively spelled, owing to the artist’s predisposition to rebus puzzles.
The album manages to be both whimsical and weighty, a collection of bright, delicate crayon and pencil portraits encapsulating a fanciful innocence devoid of anger or violence. This is then held in contrast to the recurrence of the initials ‘ECT’ i.e. shock treatment, providing insight to Deed’s dark reality.
Located on the 4th Floor of 730 5th Avenue, the Hirsch & Adler is open to the public Tuesday through Friday 9.30-5.45 and Saturdays between 9.30-4.30. The gallery is free so you have absolutely no excuse for not seeing this beautiful collection that is as engaging as the story of its survival.
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For More Information Visit:
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http://www.hirschlandadler.com
