Collector Richard Merkin, my Dear Friend, Has Died

[barrysloate]

Richard Merkin, a famous New York artist and teacher, and one of the most passionate collectors I have ever known, passed away a few days ago. He was 70. Richard was a very dear friend for some twenty years; as such this is a difficult note for me to post. I last spoke with him in July, and he informed me that he was gravely ill. In recent years his health and spirit began to decline, and many people who were very close to him over the years may have lately lost touch with him.

Richard was passionate about everything, and collecting baseball memorabilia was no exception. His speciality was Negro League and Latin material, but he seemed to collect practically everything. He had one of the largest collections of erotica in the world, and even wrote a book on tijuana bibles.

He was also an accomplished painter, exhibiting all over the United States, and taught at the Rhode Island School of Design for over forty years. He lived for most of that time in a wonderful apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and commuted to Rhode Island every week. When he lost that apartment about five years ago and had to move with his wife up to Croton-On-Hudson, he was never the same. The New York life that he so loved was gone.

For those who knew him, one of the things we all marveled about was that his picture is on the cover of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. That's Richard in the back row, wearing a derby, next to Edgar Allan Poe. Although he was really not a Beatle fan, I know he took great joy in having his picture on the most famous album cover in the world.

Those who knew Richard loved his larger than life personality, and I adored him too. Although recent years were not good to him, I will always remember the better times, and those nearly daily early morning phone calls that we had for many years. Richard, I will miss you dearly. You're in a better place, my friend.

[ethicsprof]

Barry,
I am deeply moved by your words and am so very sorry for the loss of your most remarkable friend.
My sincerest thoughts and prayers are with you in this moment.

my condolences, my friend


barry

[Leon]

Very sorry to hear this ....My condolences and prayers go out to the family and friends. warm regards

[Bamacollection]

Barry,
I am sorry for the loss of your friend. We we keep you and his family in our prayers.

Lance Galloway and Family

[bh3443]

Barry,
Our prayers are with you and i added your friend to my prayer list as i attend Church almost every day.
So sad to see any of us lose close friends and family.
Take care and best regards,
Bill Hedin and family

[slidekellyslide]

My condolences and thoughts are with you Barry. Richard sounded like he was an interesting fellow.

edited to add: I found some stuff on him in Google and it looks like at least some of his artwork had a baseball theme.

http://www.gallery444.com/merkin_bio_page.htm

[barrysloate]

Thank you to all. In my haste I left out a most important fact of Richard's life: many of his paintings were about baseball. He did some amazing portraits and action shots of some of the game's greats. If someone is able to google "Richard Merkin, Haddad Gallery" there are numerous paintings of his, among them two of George and Harry Wright. Maybe someone can post them or any others here, as they are apropos to our thread about the Boston composite.

Yes, as Dan mentioned above about baseball.

[Matt]

My condolences.

http://gallerydriver.com/Art/George-t.jpg
http://gallerydriver.com/Art/Spring-Training-Chesbro-1985-t.jpg

[Jacklitsch]

Very touching tribute. Thank you for sharing and best wishes to his family.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

I am so sorry to hear of this. It would be very interesting to hear the Beatles story. I have read that each of the people featured of the Sgt. Pepper's cover had an influence on the lives of one or more of the Beatles. How is this the case with Richard?

[barrysloate]

Jodi- Richard never even met the Beatles. But he spent the summer of 1966 in England, and became friendly with an associate of Michael Cooper, the photographer who designed and shot the cover. All of the photographs used for the album were assembled, and then each of those pictures were glued to lifesize cardboard backings. After those figures were arranged as they would appear on the cover, the four Beatles came onto the set and stood in the center for the final photograph.

In the 1980's those cardboard figures went to auction- Richard gave me a copy of that catalog many years ago- and they sold for several thousand dollars each. Many of the people pictured did have some significance to the Beatles, but my guess is they did not know who Richard was.

Richard once showed me the actual photo used for the cover. It was originally full length, but was cropped from the shoulders up as it was used.

[Jay Wolt]

Barry, Very sad to hear this.

Here is the cover of the album.

http://ymskrecordings.com/audio_files/BeatlesSgtPepper/sgt_pepper_cover.jpg

[caramelcard]

Barry,

I'm glad Richard is remembered with such a caring post on our board.

Very sorry you lost your friend.

Rob

[base_ball]

Merkin, a true renaissance man, was often mentioned as one of America's best-dressed men back in the day. In his later years, a pillbox baseball cap replaced a derby atop his head. I only met him twice, but he was quite the fellow.

[Ladder7]

The years soar by. Nice tribute Barry. I'm sorry for the loss of your friend.

[barrysloate]

Thanks everyone. If you look at the back row of the cover, you will see Poe, Fred Astaire (I think), and then Richard to his right.

Richard told the story that when the album first came out, legions of fans tried to identify everyone on the cover. Many were easy, but of course Richard's portrait was the stumbling block. There were many guesses, and the name that most came up was Hitler! True story, and he was both shocked and amused that people thought that's who it was.

[bigtrain]

I believe that it was Mr. Merkin that I met years ago at a Lelands live auction. Don't remember which one but I recall he mentioned that he had illustrated a baseball book by Lawrence Ritter. Is anyone familiar with it?

[barrysloate]

Richard was a fixture at all the Leland's auctions.

The book he did with Larry Ritter, who was one of his closest friends, was: "Leagues Apart, The Men and Times of the Negro Baseball Leagues." Richard did numerous paintings for the book.

I just flipped through the pages of my copy and saw he inscribed it :"to the Sloates with affection, R.M." Very sad.

[benjulmag]

Thank you Barry for that very moving tribute. I too knew Richard and was very saddened when Barry told me of his passing. Richard was a man with tremendous passions in all he pursued, as well as a loyal and trusting friend. I will miss him very much. My sincere condolences to his family and friends.

[autograf]

Not to get too far off topic but in case you wanted to know who else was on that cover..........
http://punk-music.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_beatles_sgt_pepper_cover



Fantastic tribute Barry. Were we all so lucky to have a friend so eloquent as you......

[brickyardkennedy]

That was a lovely tribute to your friend that you posted, Barry and I'm sorry for your loss.

All these decades I too, believed that was Adolph H's pic., much to my embarrassment.

[19cbb]

Barry, very sorry for the loss of your friend. Best wishes to his family.

[jimthorpe]

Richard was a true renaissance man. A more a passionate collector you could not find while having an eye for the best the hobby has to offer.

A quick conversation with him could yield volumes of information along with some great stories and few jokes to boot.

He will be missed by all who knew him.

Rest in Peace Richard

[GoldenAge50s]

Barry---

Those of us here in RI & the Providence area are familiar w/ him & his work. My dentist has one of his limited prints on the wall right in front of the chair & I stare at it every time I go in for a checkup!

It's the one of a gangly pitcher in a KC Monarch's uni who resembles Satchel Paige and I have searched EBay for 3 yrs to no avail!

My condolences to you on the loss of a friend.

[barrysloate]

Thanks again to all for their good wishes. Rhode Island was Richard's second home. Amazingly, he commuted from Manhattan to Rhode Island each Monday, and returned to NY on Thursday. And he did it every week during the school year for forty years. That's a lot of mileage.

[Beatles Guy]

My condolences on your loss.

[ChiefBenderForever]

Sorry to hear this, sounds like he lived a very full life.

[RichardSimon]

I have known him for a number of years. He was a very fun filled and funny type of guy and I always enjoyed the time he would spend at my table at shows.
He will be missed.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

I had honestly never heard of Richard until Barry's post. This man sounds like the kind of fellow you only encounter once in a lifetime.

[2dueces]

Barry, Sorry to hear of your loss and my thoughts go out to his family. Joe

[Wite3]

Barry and the Merkin family,
I am so sorry to hear this. Although I never met him personally, I did enjoy his book with Larry Ritter and his artwork. My condolences to all.

Joshua

[deadballpaul]

My condolences Barry, & to his family & friends too.

[rc4157]

Barry - My condolences as well. As others have said, you wrote a very nice tribute to your friend from the heart.

RC

[dennis]

barry,very nice post. it is hard to lose a good friend.

[whycough]

As I am 64 and a lifetime RI native, I remember very well seeing his paintings around and about. I thought they were very cool. I wonder if he went to the Boston Card show and if I had passed him by without knowing it. I should have bought one of his paintings. Very sorry to hear he is gone. (Jazz Me Baby it said on one of his works: ah sweet memory!)

[roarfrom34]

I recall seeing him at the old Willow Grove and East Coast National shows. My condolences to his family.

[tedzan]

This is very sad news. I remember Richard very well. I enjoyed chatting with Richard at the Willow Grove and Fort Washington Shows.
We would share BB card experiences from our youth for what seemed like hours, collecting 1948-1952 Bowman's and 1952 Topps cards.
A really great guy.

May GOD BLESS his soul and comfort his family.


TED Z

[mets41]

My condolences to you, Barry, and all of Richard's other friends and family. I never met him but from what you said he seemed like a fine gentelman.

[PGACPA]

Barry,
I did not know him but I share in your loss. I have suffered similar sadness in recent years of loss of family, long time friends and colleagues. To quote the often misattributed author John Donne; "Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."
Regards,
Bob