Fun Gallery -- The True Story

New York: The Fun Gallery (Self-Published), 2013. Pictorial wrappers. Near Fine. WILDLY INSCRIBED BY "QUEEN OF THE 80s DOWNTOWN SCENE" PATTI ASTOR on the title page. Also includes a wonderful "pink champagne bottle and glass" drawing in her hand, outlined by hearts. An all-but-pristine copy to boot of this elusve, self-published 2013 memoir by the legendary downtown proprietess and doyen of the East Village hot spot "Fun Gallery". Lasting only 4 years (1981-1985), Fun Gallery quickly developed an outsized reputation and influence on the New York art and cultural scenes. And this primarily because of Patti Astor herself, who not only offered very early shows to Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Jane Dickson but also actively courted leading hip-hop and graffiti artists such as Dondi, Futura 2000, FABS FREDDY, Lee Quinones and others to take part in the scene. By moving hip-hop and graffiti artists into a physical gallery space --no matter how modest-- she was "bringing uptown sensibilities downtown". A scarce memoir of the nascent --but fast-moving-- art scene in SoHo and the East Village, among other downtown spots, authored by one of the scene's principal actors.