Dennis Oppenheim, RIP

In appearance, Dennis Oppenheim was like a raggamuffin, slipshod in dress, kind of frozen in the 70s. The works were all over the place too but with an undeniable magic touch, from the sunburned book impression on his chest to his wacky machines - Rube Goldberg wedded to Samuel Beckett. Perhaps that he jumped from genre to genre hampered his commercial success and acceptance but he always seemed to have major public and private works on the go. There was a palpable sense of optimism from the man and his art; he seemed assured in his talents and knowing that the rest of us would eventually catch up and he would finally catch on.