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December 9, 2009

For curator, library's art a rich legacy

Wednesday, December 09, 2009
STAR-LEDGER STAFF
nj.com
For weeks now, little altars of sorts have appeared outside Bill Dane's office in the bowels of the Newark Public Library.

One day, there might be an array of replica coqui, tiny tree frogs from Puerto Rico, where Dane likes to vacation. Another day might bring interestingly shaped bottles, from perfume to liquor. Or watches -- vintage Mickey Mouse specimens alongside garish, blinged-out timepieces he bought from street vendors, not one of which actually work.

As head of the library's Special Collections Division, Dane has amassed one of the finest public collections of prints in the country, including works by Rembrandt, Matisse, Picasso, Miró and Warhol.

Now, after 62 years at the library, he is curating his own departure. Starting with his desk.

The 86-year-old Dane is retiring, and his final act as Keeper of the Prints -- a title he appropriated himself and snuck past a civil service clerk by insisting he had passed the (nonexistent) exam -- is to give the biennial John Cotton Dana lecture at the library tonight.

"It's a good time for the institution and for me, because things in this particular division are very positive," Dane said. "It seems to be just a fine time to pursue other things, like perhaps going to back to school and traveling a bit more. Cleaning house."

Dane wanted to slip out the door after a cup of coffee with his colleagues but, said Patricia Bender, president of the Friends of the Library, "We wanted one more opportunity to celebrate the phenomenon that is Bill Dane."

Dane is a lover of art and design, both high and low, and expanded the library's art acquisition efforts to include artists' books, pop-up books and even shopping bags. He has mingled with Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, and befriended many important New Jersey graphic artists, including printmaker Luigi Rist and Louis Lozowick, a precisionist painter and lithographer. But Dane also cultivated up-and-comers, creating a democratic collection that will continue to grow after he leaves thanks to an endowment he created in memory of his sister, Gertrude.

"I do find that the longer one works with materials, the more everything becomes interesting and interrelated," he mused. "The more you know, the richer is your experience, and through travel and education, I've had a nice, broad experience."

Dane, a World War II veteran, moved to Montclair with his mother and sister after the death of their father. In 1947, he started working as a clerk in the library's art and music department. But his love of art blossomed in Paris in 1950, when he studied at the Sorbonne.

Often ahead of the curve in art world trends, thanks to his constant study and travel, he is old-fashioned in other ways. No computer -- senior librarian Chad Leinaweaver prints out his e-mail -- and Dane types his notes on a 1960s-era manual Royal typewriter.

"He asked me, "Who do I ask about taking that typewriter? Do you think I could buy it from the library?' " Leinaweaver recalled. "I said, "Bill, you could probably have it. They'll probably bronze it and give it to you if you want it.' "

Vicki Hyman may be reached at vhyman@starledger.com.

Posted by tumulty at December 9, 2009 8:12 PM

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