Published to coincide with the exhibition of the same name, held in Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam, January 31-May 31 2015.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. New York : a new mythology -- 2. The artist's co-op -- 3. An artists' friendship -- 4. Landing in Rotterdam.

From 31 January Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen is showing letters, sculptures and documentation of environments by the American artist Paul Thek (New York 1933-1988). The exhibition is an intimate presentation focussing on the museum's collection of letters that Thek wrote to fellow artist Franz Deckwitz. Paul Thek's works range from drawings, paintings and sculptures in wax and bronze to large-scale installations. He created lumps of meat from wax, which he suspended on cables, and he painted on newspapers. He was inspired by religion, literature, theatre and everyday life. His multifaceted oeuvre occupies a unique place within the art of the 1960s and 1970s. At the heart of the exhibition are Thek's letters to his friend and fellow artist Franz Deckwitz (Schermerhorn, 1934 - Amsterdam, 1994) written between 1962 and 1988, which the museum recently acquired from Deckwitz's estate. They are shown alongside nineteen works by Thek acquired by the museum from Deckwitz's estate some twenty years ago. The letters provide an insight into Thek's life, his artistic development and his collaboration with Deckwitz. Exhibition: Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (31.01.-31.05.2015).