As a young boy with a stammer, growing up in a grimy industrial town in the north of England, Baxter discovered the world of surrealism before he had heard of André Breton. He went on to art school where the works of De Chirico and Max Ernst pointed the way to a lifelong love of absurdity. In 1974 he was invited by the Poetry Project to read from his collected works at St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bouwerie, a pivotal moment for the young Englishman. Caught up in the delirium of New York, he had discovered his natural home. A series of exhibitions held at the Gotham Book Mart Gallery and many books and exhibits followed around the globe, prompting Edward Gorey to pronounce: “Mr. Baxter betrays all the ominous symptoms of genius.” You are invited to enter his world.
In Conversation with Bill Zavatsky: Poets House, Tuesday, October 15, 6-8 p.m. in Kray Hall, 10 River Terrace, New York, NY, 10282. 212-431-7920.
Presented in conjunction with the Glen Baxter exhibition at Flowers Gallery, 529 W. 20th Street, New York, NY 10011. T: 212-439-1700, Opens on October 15; reception for the artist, Saturday, October 19, 5-7. Exhibition runs to November 9, 2013.
