Celebrating Gunther Gerzso's 80th birthday with a show in his honor seems right. In 1982 we inaugurated this gallery with a Gerzso retrospective show in Paris at FIAC, organized with our friends and associates, Mariana Pérez Amor and Alejandra Yturbe of the Galería de Arte Mexicano. The following year we again collaborated with GAM in the publication with Edicions du Griffon in Neuchâtel, Switzerland of an important monograph on Gerzso with texts by Octavio Paz and John Golding. In 1984 we presented this book at Mary-Anne Martin/Fine Art at the opening of Gerzso's first New York retrospective show. Since then we have collaborated in the publication of Gerzso's first suite of bronze sculptures, an idea born of the friendship among three Gerzso admirers: George Belcher, who kept insisting that Gerzso's work would translate into bronze; Hank Hine, who had the knowledge and San Francisco facilities to make this possible; I was the third partner, who was able to put everyone together, offer moral support from the East Coast and make occasional trips to the West Coast when progress seemed to be slowing down and I felt things needed stirring up.

38. Temples, 1995

A wonderful half-brother of the sculpture project was the production of Gerzso's first color etchings, the magnificent Palabras Grabadas suite. Production of the sculptures obliged Gerzso to spend two or more months at a time in San Francisco. Still there were lulls, pockets of time between the fabrication of the maquettes and the development of the molds; more time between production of the bronze casts and patination. Sensing that Gerszo needed to occupy himself with more than shopping during these hiatuses, Hank Hine suggested that the artist create some color etchings at the Limestone Press, Hine's print studio. Although Gerzso had produced lithographs before and silkscreens as well, he had made only one etching up till then, a small black and white experiment. The Limestone experience was a great success and the resulting portfolio of ten etchings by Gerzso accompanied by ten poems by Octavio Paz was published in 1990. Gerzso was encouraged by Hine to produce a suite of five large etchings and aquatints from 1993-5 which Mary-Anne Martin/Fine Art exhibited at ArtMiami '95. In 1995 they produced a series of twelve Temples, evoking Mexican archeological sites, small lyrical etchings printed in dark green ink. These Temples, with accompanying poetry by Dr. 1967 Hine, will be presented to the public for the first time at Gerzso's 80th birthday show at Mary-Anne Martin/Fine Art.

To mark this show as a special event we have asked a number of writers, critics and colleagues to send us a few words of tribute to Gerzso. These are our birthday greetings to him, printed on the following pages.

All these years have passed swiftly. There have been periods of sadness and illness, frightening moments. Gerzso has survived a heart bypass operation and paints with renewed appreciation of life. I no longer bring him Swiss chocolates when I visit him at his studio as I know he must watch his weight. I look forward to our visits. Gunther and Gene are old friends.

• Visiting Gunther Gerzso
  Mary-Anne Martin
• Testimonials
• Interview with Gunther Gerzso
  Marie-Pierre Colle
• Gerzso as Sculptor
• Gunther Gerzso
  Dore Ashton
• Checklist
• Artist's Bio