Page 3 of The Edge of Always

The article loads, and something deep in my chest lurches.

‘UNE VIE EN COULEUR’ EARL JOSEF SPENCER – Nouvelle exposition temporaire au Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris.

‘Fuck me,’ I say, even though there’s no one here to hear it. Blood starts pumping around my ears. A persistent thud. Dum. Dum. Dum. I click the little Union Jack flag to translate the article to English and keep reading.

The MAM in Paris is hosting a new exhibition of the late, great expressionist Earl Josef Spencer. Spencer’s work, has yet to be exhibited in Paris, and Rise Art understands that this temporary exhibition will incorporate several pieces from his final years, including:

The Weight of Light

Portrait of the Longing for Human Connection

Montmartre in Motion

The Juxtaposition of Life and Death

The Rubicon

Mari Marigold, the curator responsible for the show, told Rise Art, ‘It is a true honour to display the last works of Earl Josef Spencer. He’s an artist I’ve wanted to bring to our space since my tenure here began. His The Juxtaposition of Life and Death and Portrait of the Longing for Human Connection are two of my favourite pieces.

‘There’s no doubt about it; visitors are in for a treat. Spencer’s work combines the emotional intensity of Expressionism with the objective clarity found in post-Expressionism, creating a masterclass in colour and form. At least that’s what we believe here at Rise Art. And if a Spencer exhibition isn’t exciting enough, we can exclusively reveal that MAM has acquired a new work which will take centre stage in the exhibit.’

Spencer died at age eighty-seven, almost twenty years ago, and so the mystery of a new piece is taking the art world by storm.

Madam Marigold remained tight-lipped on the whole thing and refused to be drawn on where precisely the new painting had been found. But Rise Art understands that it’s a verified Spencer titled, The Edge of Always. And if you can’t wait to see the real deal, we have an exclusive first look here.

The exhibition is set to run for the whole of September. This isn’t one to be missed, art lovers!

I feel… confused. So much confusion. It spreads like mist on an autumn evening, clouding my thoughts and darkening my outlook.

How? How can there be a new painting by Earl? It’s impossible.

I click the link to see the painting, but the WiFi is dodgy and it won’t load.

I put my phone down. Pick it up again. It still hasn’t loaded. I hit back, confusion making way for frustration. I jab at my phone.

Work, goddamit. The article loads again, so I re-read it, trying to take it all in.

A new painting by the late artist Earl Josef Spencer has been unearthed.

It’s being exhibited in Paris throughout September.

No one knows where it came from.

It’s almost September now. Three days away.

My heart is still beating a persistent beat in my ear.

Why didn’t anyone tell me?

I dismiss the thought right away. Why would anyone tell me? I’m a no one. Before I gave it up, my own art had become so unprofitable it was just a hobby. Turns out people don’t want dismembered hearts all over their walls.

And who would connect my Art of Dying blog with Earl? So few people know everything that happened back then.

There’s Emmett. He’d know.

As thoughts go, it’s an unwanted one. I never even think about Emmett. And I’m certain that he’s not thinking about me. He probably doesn’t know about the new painting. I’m in the art world, and I might have missed it if it wasn’t for…

Mae.