Kunsthal opening night

A quick and temporary posting with some images of the Kunsthal opening of Adriaan's memorial exhibition.
When I'm done travelling (in 2 weeks): i will post more pictures.
Find here some for the impatient Americans that couldn't be there.

Margie, Teun, Ellen, Mitsy

An emotional opening where we were all happy to see each other, but so unfair that the person we were celebrating, the person that gave us so many great friends, was not amongst us.

The amazing and very functional architecture of Rem Koolhaas added to the Torch "Spectacularness"

The publication was still wet. After 3000 kilometers and many long nights (amongst 11 with no sleep): Margie Geerlinks was able to pull off the book, which ArtUnlimited published. More later!

Adriaan my Art-Father - from Colien Langerwerf

For Annie Sprinkle, Adriaan was her Art-Pimp!, for me was Adriaan my Art-Father!
From day one, back in the early ninetees, He was my: Big-Art-Daddy.
Beside a painter, I'm an performer,and at the first PORN Fair at the Markanti Plaza, and Adriaan was there to support me!
Together we fixed the set of GTST ( the first Dutch soap on national tv) with my paintings and we played a little role too!
On Camp-Art Adriaan had a Adult Road Movie-show, and a harem!, with me and my crazy friends! they loved him all! and we took the front page with a huge photo at a big daily newspaper!!!
Adriaan brought my paintings into the film : COOL, one of the movies of Theo van Gogh, and Daddy and I had popcorn at the premiere, together! with all the young deliguentes/actors of that movie.

Of course, these are just a few memories and there where also the regular shows, and Adriaan was always caring about his artist!

I loved him! for his big heart, the strange, the crazy, the high and unexspectable way of living the Art!
Where Adriaan was, there was something going on!

I ll miss you my Big-Art-Daddy!
I ll keep the TORCH burning!

Colien Langerwerf

fotos made by: Eduard bezembinder at Camp Art Amsterdam 1996

From MITSY, MO & EVA

Dear People,

Thank you for all the beautiful stories and memories about Adriaan.
We feel supported by the warmth & love.

Warm Regards,
Mitsy, Mo & Eva

Adriaan the Love Machine - from Annie Sprinkle

Adriaan the Love Machine
When I first met Adriaan in 1989 I immediately fell in love with this darling, wonderful, sexy man. Since that fateful day I have always affectionately called him my ‘art pimp.’ He plucked me from the sex industry where I had been working for years as a prostitute and porn star. He put me in several exhibitions at Torch, plus produced and published my first, and still best, book. I enjoyed the sex industry but had a big, juicy fantasy of being an artist. Adriaan helped make my fantasy into a very juicy reality.
Mitsy was of course Adriaan’s #1 gal. Rightly so! She was always delightfully warm and welcoming toward me, and I have so much respect for her. Adriaan of course had lots of women artist in his stable. I was a little jealous, and very happy, when he started to work with the fabulous Italian blonde porn star Cicciolina. Adriaan was very good to us sex worker artists. Bless his heart. We would give him our art works and he would give us back money to keep us in new high heels, sexy lingerie and big wigs. Plus we got to spread our political messages around the globe.
Adriaan will live on in my heart, and I’ll always be eternally grateful that he took me, and my work to all the best art places. Every minute being with him was sheer ecstasy. He was a love machine! And no, we never had sex. The artistic collaborations were completely satisfying.
Annie Sprinkle, Ph.D.

The Love Machine with his #1 Girl.
Here are some photos from last summer (2008). Fortunately I canceled a gig and jumped on a plane to Amsterdam to go pay my respects to Adriaan, who helped me so much over the years. Mitsy was absolutely radiant, and so in love with her man.

Adriaan always encouraged me to find a live partner-mate. He had met one or two hundred of my lovers over the years. But when I introduced him to my gal of the last seven years, artist Elizabeth Stephens, he said she was "a real keeper."

This coming August Elizabeth and I will be doing a performance art wedding in blue at the Venice Bienale. We will dedicate the entire wedding to our angel Adriaan Van Der Have.
I wouldn't be going to the Venice Bienale if it weren't for Adriaan.

Breast wishes dear Andriaan. I will always keep you in my heart next to my big boobies. You were one fine art pimp.

============

Comment by Pearl:

Oh, that was so, so sweet!
Once, in Miami, Adriaan picked himself up a souvenir t-shirt at one of the tourist traps that read:
"I don't care if they're real, as long as they're real big!"
Classic Torch! You could always laugh about boobies, jugs, and funbags with Adriaan!

May 11, 2009

From Richard Goodall - Uuunbelievable

It is hard to write this. Adriaan was my mentor, my inspiration when I opened my gallery in 2000. From the earliest moments, he was generous with advice and contacts. He introduced me to wonderful people like Margi and Anton and Eelco, not to mention Mitsy and Mo.
The first photo was taken in Amsterdam in April 2000. Adriaan explaining to me the finer points of white beer with a slice of orange..'Uuunbelievable', as only he could say.
We had an ongoing competition of who could make the most sales. Whoever was ahead was crowned 'Uno'. He made me the packet of pills based on the Dana Wyse series. Ah, but Adriaan, you will always be 'Uno'. Sharon and I will look forward to meeting old friends in Rotterdam next month.
Richard Goodall