paul de river
And in Black Dahlia news...
Submitted by kim on Fri, 2006-09-22 15:01.You may think you're up on your Black Dahlia lore, but you might have missed two recent books that take very different approaches to the case. First, there's the memoir from Jacque Daniel, "The Curse of the Black Dahlia." Daniel was daughter and secretary to police psychiatrist Paul de River, whose involvement in the case was tinged with controversy. See her site for ordering info and her rebuttal of the claims in Donald Wolfe's recent, worthless contribution to the genre.
Then there's "Exquisite Corpse" by Mark Nelson and Sarah Hudson Bayliss, which takes as gospel the Steve Hodel theory of mutilation murder as homage a l'art moderne, and digs into the notion of the posing and abuses of Beth Short's body as a Surrealist art piece. While not quite as loopy as Gareth Penn's "Times 17" (Zodiac Killer as earthworks artist), it does sound rather outré.
And for those who prefer their artwork more literal, figural or even available for purchase, here is a call for Beth Short-inspired artwork to decorate the walls of a temporary downtown L.A. gallery, during the 60th anniversary month of her murder:
Her Name Was Elizabeth: 60 Years of Obsession with L.A.'s Black Dahlia.
January 15th, 2007 marks the 60th anniversary of the morning that
Elizabeth Short was found murdered and mutilated in a empty lot @
39th & Norton.The murder captivated Los Angeles and set off a media frenzy fueled by the lurid life and brutal death of "The Black Dahlia."
In commemoration of this anniversary B. Beretta UnLimited and The Friends of Elizabeth are seeking artists, photographers and filmmakers to contribute works to a 1 month gallery showing that relate to Elizabeth Short and her Infamous persona, The Black Dahlia.
Many a myth and mistruth has been relayed about Elizabeth Short over the years. The objective of this gallery is to explore how the influence that the images of Elizabeth in life and death have sparked artistic expression, if not obsession in multiple mediums.
The Gallery will be located in the historic core of Downtown Los Angeles. The Opening Reception will be held January 11th in conjunction with the Downtown Art Walk and will close on February 9th with a closing party on Feb 8th.
To submit your work for consideration please send a digital rendering of your submission, a bio and for my own curators curiosity- a short note telling your story about Elizabeth and how she influenced you and in turn, manifested in to artwork. Feel free to contact us @ 323.445.6037 for more information.
Thank You-
Nico Bella
B.Beretta UnLimited
Friend of Elizabeth
bella_beretta@yahoo.com
