Nonson Gallery
wanted
In late 1979/ early 1980, Jean-Michel Basquiat asked Artists Henry Benvenuti and Despo Magoni to be included in a group show they were curating at George Staples’ Nonson Gallery in SoHo. Having hosted previous exhibits focused on “Punk” Art, Nonson Gallery had achieved some notoriety as a loci for the budding New Wave music/performance/art scene. Jean-Michel wanted his full name on the show’s press release, however, Benvenuti insisted on his more renowned SAMO© moniker. They compromised by identifying him as “Jean Samo”.
Though Basquiat had been identified in earlier exhibitions at A’s (and possibly other clubs), the Nonson show was likely his first noted inclusion in an Art Gallery exhibition. To my knowledge, this extremely rare announcement has heretofore not been cited in any prominent Basquiat histories or bibliographies.
Details: “A New Decade in Art” curated by Henry Benvenuti and Despo Magoni
Venue: Nonson Gallery Productions: 133 Wooster Street
Date: January 22 - February 9, 1980
keywords: announcement; press release; basquiat; samo; nonson gallery; sur rodney sur; henry benvenuti; despo magoni
