Aaron Birnbaum: Paintings 1960 - 1996 The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art September 14 through November 9, 1997 Aaron Birnbaum on his Second Career The following is an excerpt from an interview with the artist by Bernard Edelman due to be published in his forthcoming book on American centenarians. When I retired, I was very lonesome, I had quite a few friends. And some of the friends asked me how I get along. I said, well, I feel all right, but I'm very lonesome. So, one of my friends said, lonesome? That's nothing. I'll give you a dog, and a dog is a good companion, and you would not be lonesome. So, a dog is a problem. You gotta take care on it. So I gave back the dog. Then I was lonesome again. From Europe, I used to like birds. So I went out and I bought a few canaries and I start to raise them. But this is the same thing. It's a life thing. You gotta take care on it. So I got rid of the birds. But I gotta do something. So I figured, how about starting to paint? You paint, you throw it out, just to keep your mind occupied. So I made the first picture. Mine daughter came in to visit me and she saw that picture and she asked me, where did you get that picture? I said I made it myself. She said, You made it? How did you - because I never painted. She said, "Can I have it? I said, I want to throw it out. So she took that picture and she saw the family and she said, you know, daddy has no more dog, no more birds, now he's starting to paint. He paints? Yes, he gave me a picture. If you come into my house you'll see it, the picture. So the family started to ask me for pictures. I was glad to give them. Then my friends started to ask me for pictures and I gave them. But I was busy. Then, by my surprise, teachers that teach painting, they cam over to my house, they asked me, can we see your pictures? Sure, you can see them. And I show them. So they asked me if I can give them some pictures. I was surprised. I gave them. Then they came again. And I gave them. Then they start to make shows with my pictures. They invite me to come to the show. I invited my family, Friends. And that's how I started to paint. I tell you. I don't do it for pleasure. You want to know something? I do it just to occupy my mind, that's all, to keep on. Because, you know, I was born a slave. What I mean is this: I was born always to work. I can't stay idle. So, that's what it is. I remember a lot of things. Some of them from a sketch. You see, I do the painting the same thing like I did designing. From a picture I can make half a dozen of them, in different ways. Then I combine them with sometin' I remember. Painting is this way. If you start to paint you've got to figure out, it's the same thing like if you design a house. If you put on this, belongs on this side, the other one belongs on the other side; it's got to harmonize. This whole like if only the taste. You put on a picture for people to like it. You write a book for people to like it, to tell a story for people to like it. Listen, the thing is this: How long you think I'm gonna last on this world? Well, I tell you. If I'll leave this world, hundreds of people will have my pictures in their homes, hundreds of people. So, I'll leave something. You asked me, if you give somebody a present like a box of candy, how long does it last? But if you have a picture, sometimes it goes from one generation to another. So I'm glad that I do paintings and I'm glad, naturally, maybe some of them they don't like and don't keep it. Not everybody likes the same thing. You take ten people; everyone likes something else. So, that's what life is.

home | gallery | exhibitions | contemporary | outsider | press | contact