Conceptually speaking...

May 22, 2008 4:38 PM

...with the sun still high in the sky and his heart full of joy, Brian O’Doherty attended his own wake." The artist's alter ego was so named as a gesture of protest over the events of Bloody Sunday. Satisfied with the prospect of peace, he laid Patrick Ireland to rest. Slideshow of the wake.. Doctor, poet, novelist, art critic, journalist, film and television writer/director, pioneer in conceptual art, and author of the influential essays collected as 'Inside the White Cube: The Ideology of the Gallery Space.' What will be the next chapter in Brian O’Doherty's prolific career?
posted by desuetude (7 comments total)

Did he have as much fun as Tom?
posted by HuronBob at 4:49 PM on May 22, 2008

Nice post!
posted by languagehat at 4:53 PM on May 22, 2008

Brian O’Doherty is a good man, take it from me.
posted by Divine_Wino at 4:56 PM on May 22, 2008

Great post! I wish the NYT slide shows came with sound, in this case at least.
posted by rtha at 5:35 PM on May 22, 2008

I know I've already said something, but I just wanted to say that I know him personally a little bit and my father knows him well and he's a very interesting man and a great and thoughtful supporter of human sovereignty and it was a real pleasure to see his happiness and a tiny representation (however imperfect) of a human triumph won through peace and art rather than spilled blood (although much blood was spilled along the way). God Between You and Evil, Patrick Ireland, you're in a better place. Thanks for the post.
posted by Divine_Wino at 7:17 PM on May 22, 2008 [1 favorite]

Was P O'Neill among the mourners?
Thanks for the post desuetude, I'd not heard of O'Doherty.
posted by Abiezer at 2:59 AM on May 23, 2008

Divine_Wino, it's neat to hear from someone who knows him personally -- thanks.

I had meant to dig up his articles as an art critic for the NY Times, but didn't have any luck finding them available.
posted by desuetude at 6:17 AM on May 23, 2008