Fun Gallery facts for kids

The Fun Gallery was an art gallery started by Patti Astor and Bill Stelling in 1981. It was very important in the art world until it closed in 1985. As the first art gallery in Manhattan's East Village, it showed off amazing street art and graffiti artists. Some famous names included Fab 5 Freddy, Futura 2000, Lee Quiñones, Zephyr, Dondi, Lady Pink, and ERO. Other well-known artists like Kenny Scharf, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Keith Haring also had their own shows there.

History of the Fun Gallery

The Fun Gallery grew out of the punk scene in the East Village in the late 1970s. Patti Astor came back to New York City in 1975. She became an actress in underground films. She spent time at a club called CBGB. This club became famous for punk rock and new wave bands. Bands like Blondie, Talking Heads, and the Ramones played there. Later, other clubs like Hurrah and the Mudd Club also opened.

How the Gallery Started

Patti Astor became friends with a graffiti artist named Fab 5 Freddy. He connected the hip-hop and graffiti scenes from uptown with the punk and art worlds downtown. In 1981, Astor was filming a movie called Wild Style. She asked graffiti artist Futura 2000 to paint a mural in her apartment.

After the mural was finished, Astor had a party. Many artists and important people from the art world came. Everyone loved the mural. Because of this, Astor's friend Bill Stelling offered a small space to open an art gallery.

Opening and Location

In September 1981, Astor opened the Fun Gallery. It was in a storefront at 229 East 11th Street. The rent was $175 a month. By the end of that year, she moved the gallery. The new spot was at 254 East 10th Street. The rent there was much higher.

The gallery was different from the "stuffy" art scene in lower Manhattan. Astor said they wanted to get away from the typical art galleries. The Fun Gallery quickly became a popular spot in the downtown art scene.

Famous Artists and Shows

Artist Kenny Scharf had one of his first solo shows at the Fun Gallery in 1981. He is known for giving the gallery its name. At first, the gallery changed its name for each show. But for Kenny Scharf's show, he called it "Fun Gallery." The name then stuck forever. In October 1981, both Fab 5 Freddy and Futura 2000 had their own shows there.

Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat had a solo exhibition at the Fun Gallery. It opened on November 4, 1982. Basquiat started as a graffiti artist known as SAMO. By 1982, his art was shown in galleries in the United States and Europe. Some of his paintings in the show included Equals Pi and A Panel of Experts.

By 1983, artist Keith Haring was showing his work in many galleries. He wanted to support the Fun Gallery and its artists. So, he agreed to have his own show there in February 1983.

Closing the Gallery

The East Village area began to change. More art galleries opened, and rent prices went up. Because of these changes, Astor closed the Fun Gallery in 1985. She then moved to Los Angeles. In 2013, Astor wrote a book about her experiences. It was called Fun Gallery… the True Story. The book tells about her time in the East Village art scene during the 1980s.