***

Glaser. Double face man.

I landed in Kennedy Airport on June 16, 1976 and unexpectedly, see Sasha Veksler and her husband, Bill Saary, waving me with the flowers! It was outstanding! I knew Sasha, because she came to Leningrad with 3 American exhibitions: one was American Graphics, one - Architecture and one - American Furniture. She met my friend Naum Kazhdan - who had his studio , not far from mine, there was our friend Mark, also photographer and all of us went to my studio on Stremyannaya Street in Leningrad, but I‘ve met Bill first time in my life,, when I lended.

Later, we became very close friends and our friendship became stronger and continued up to Bills last days.
Jewish organization NIANA, placed me in half empty hotel St. GEORGE in Brooklyn Hights and I lived there for about one and half year, until this hotel went for renovation in 1977 and a half.

I have written separate story about this hotel on the site: PROZA.RU.

But we are moving closer to Glazer, who appeared on my horizon in 1980, two years later, after I moved to Jersey City.

As I mentioned, Hotel St. George was going on renovation and one young man came to Hotel St. George and suggested to visit Jersey City and possibly, to rent inexpensive apartment there. I was desperately looking to rent space in Hoboken, Staten Iceland, New York, but had no money to afford there anything.
Yes,  I liked development in Jersey City! Price was ALMOST suitable for my finances!
At that time, it was possible to purchase in Jersey City decent building for $5000! But I did not have this kind of money!

One apartment I liked the best: two floors, bright, sunny from all sides, three rooms upstairs, many closets. Brownstone house with two apartments. Downstairs already lived one family - Italian elderly man and his Polish wife with one child. Apartment, which I liked the best, was still in progress. Workers built walls, did electrical viering, water system.
I put deposit right away, even I couldn’t afford full price - $280 for this beautiful duplex!
Arthur Goldberg - the owner, purchased about 6 buildings near the park for about $2000 each, but all of them, had no inner walls, no electrical power, no water, no walls. Besides, no one wanted to rent apartments, or to buy buildings in Jersey City. It was dangerous city to live in.
Cars were stalled, apartments were broken in, people were killed, you could purchase house, next to a subway, for $5000!
One my new American friend joined me and each paid $140! The owner was Arthur Goldberg, who had in one of his buildings on 80 Grand Street, on the first floor, he already haas his own Bank, named C. A.S.E. Bank (Committy for. Absorption of Soviet Emigrees, but all other floors were empty and Arthur had no idea, what he can do with this building. He desporately wanted to rent many empty apartments, in buildings, he purchased few years ago for few thousand dollars each and hired workers from Yugoslavia and Poland, to build walls, kitchens, put new windows, make new water pipes, new electrical system. etc.

Artur called me to his apartment on 83 Montgomery and was interested in my opinion: what he can do on the second and  third floor of this building.
We were sitting in his apartment on 83 Montgomery Street, when I suggested him, to establish above his bank, Art Center!

I said, I will be happy to run there Art classes for children and adults, make there performances, pantomime and painting classes, exhibitions, even having sometimes tee or coffee place for people to relax and get together casually.
Arthur liked this idea, but he decided to make not Art Center, but C.A.S.E. Museum.  This how this Museum was founded.
Today, for giving IDEA of this sort, I could ask for free apartment, but I was not brought up with quality of being sells person.
Approximately half year later, I and my friend - Alex Rosenberg, moved to this apartment.
As soon, as I moved to my beautiful duplex apartment in 1978, Jane, Artur’s wife, invited her friend Jennifer and we became first Board Members of CASE MUSEUM.
Because I found my None Profit Organization in 1979 as GRIGURS PANTOMIME THEATER, I had pantomime classes in New York and had already followers, who attended first exhibitions in Museum. Some exhibitions had big crowds, but still no one was buying art.few my friends fallowed me and rented apartments right next to me.
One of them was Grisha Bolnemonus with wife, Parsla Vintere. Other artists, some rented apartments, some, purchased houses, like Boris Zeldin, another artist - Volodya Grigorovich.
Suddenly, two years later, after I moved to my apartment, Arthur surprised me: “Do you know, who is living next to you?”
I have no idea!
“Your friend - Anatoly Pronin!”
Unbelievable!!! Our studios in Leningrad, were across the courtyard!!!!!
Tolya immediately became board member of CASE Museum!  And than, in 1980, Alexander Glaser rented apartment, where before was Grisha Bolnemonus! We became neighbours!.

I was very impressed by Aleksander’s enthusiasm! With his appearance, newspaper “RUSSKOE SLOVO” became a reflector of exhibitions in our museum!  Despite, that on his openings were coming only few people, he was able to sell art. Maximum price was $500, but his guests purchased art during his shows. Another positive moment - he always made catalogues with the images of paintings and names of exhibited artists. It was very.important document for artist and history! When he was placing his articles and ads in newspaper, he named himself as a general director of Museum.
Glaser often was mentioning, that he runs gallery in London and in France and, after writing few articles about my art and making one interview with me, he offered me to have my exhibition in Montgeron, France. I was very exited. But I prepared good quality copies and asked one of my French student, who took here my pantomime classes and later returned to Paris, to help me with inexpensive framing.  She helped me, when I already arrived to Mongeron and brought to me glass with light hangers, so it did not cost me a lot of money.

What Glaser called “GALLERY IN MONTGERON”, was a church, built from big brown stones, very rough outside and relatively smooth inside.
Montgeron was 17 kilometres away from Paris and I need to take a train from Main station in Paris and in twenty minutes I was in Montgeron. Days were very ver, no son, November, rain and some snow. Very unpleasant, inside of Church, all brown stone is cold and wet. Tomorrow is OPENING of my exhibition. I hanged all my graphic pieces. All looks good, but paper is wrinkled, because of moisture from cold and wet stones.
While I walk from doors through courtyard, I noticed two piles of some thick papers with images and another pile of rotten plaster, broken and abandoned. I became very curious, what is it? I came closer and…. I was in shock! One pile was Misha Shemiakin’s pile and another one - Ernst Neizvestny pile!!!!!!
I can newer forget it! I was so happy, that I did not take my originals !!!!
Next day is my opening!!!!! Aleksandr is cool, smoking none stop and all day - vodka. He is an alcoholic.
Evening. Close to 7pm Aleksandf is opening the gate. German tiny Folksvagen  arrived with two people. Aleksander introduces them to me, they liked the show, but did not stay long. That’s all!!!! That was the opening of exhibition in France!!!! I must say, that Aleksandr’s wife, had gallery in Paris,  on area of Sena River, in Latin’s area.

I was very disappointed with Glaser, when he took 28 art pieces from storage of CASE Museum, including my big panting, you can see on the group photo in Hotel St. George and gave all to Adam, who took it as a payment for doing walls renovation in Museum.
Adam came to me in Jersey City and asked me to make an evaluation of price of all those paintings, including mine! The price total was about $30000!
What rights Glaser had, to give away art, without asking board of directors????
The last point of our communication was beehavior, I can not assert : Glaser took one of my paintings like a broccoli, I posted here, to sell and he newer returned it to me and newer paid me back
When he moved back to Moscow from Jersey City, I came once  downstairs, to a basement level of a Museum and I found there my sculpture - horse, all elements of it are scattered in different corners of basement and my sculpture of young Man and girl, leaning on his shoulder, broken so bad, that there is no girl at all and there’s only boys head broken neck and broken year of this man!!!!!!!

Grigory Gurevich, Copiright, July 7, 2026