Burton Dickerson, A Blog

Another moderately interesting story about my painting– While still teaching, I rolled up three big canvases and, with my wife, took them down to the DIA ( Detroit Institute of Art) to the director of Contemporary Art. He had agreed to evaluate their artistic merit with a written statement.
In his office, I unfurled the canvases on the floor (very formal) for his purusal- which turned out to be very favorable.
Near closing time we departed with canvases rolled up on my shoulder and headed for the stairwell. We descended about four flights of stairs only to discover that each exit door was locked, as were all entry doors , thus believing that we might spend overnight in the stairway at the DIA.
We began to ascend and try each exit door, finally one opened out onto the mezzanine with its darkened galleries filled with masterpieces. Expecting to have a warning shot fired across our bow, we found our way to the great descending staircase with our roll of paintings, and down to the main lobby, where oddly enough, a uniformed guard cheerfully waved us out the front door with our loot.

The above painting which I call ” Birmingham ” has an interesting story behind it. Painted in about 1978, I sold it to an interior decorator through a Birmingham Mi. gallery. The decorator used it on a number of occasions as the centerpiece for his interior designs. Eventually he swapped it for some antique furniture. I had seen the painting several times in various publications including House Beautiful. A few years ago the painting appeared again in the Sunday Detroit Free Press as part of a feature article… about a Bloomfield Hills home decorated by our decorator using my painting as the focal point of his decor. The Free Press writer called attention to the ‘ Han Hoffman ” hanging in the home. At that point I had a small fit of apoplexy. I immediately called the Free Press and spoke to the writer of the article . She swore that the home owner told her that the painting was indeed a ” Hans Hoffman.
To shorten the story, a few days later the decorator called me and apologised for the misunderstanding and would correct the situation ,forthwith. That was the last I ever heard about it. The owner of the painting either thinks he owns a Hoffman or doesn’t care.