How to Draw a Bunny

This documentary about the life and death of Ray Johnson, “the most famous unknown artist in America,” may try a little too hard, but succeeds as a collage about a collagist and performance artist, acquaintance and correspondent of many New York artists from the late 50s on, whose final work of provocation and hermetic meaning was his own apparent suicide. Put together by John Walter from a welter of elements -- interviews, photos, videos, music, intertextual moments -- this film brings an artist’s artist to greater public attention, and moreover shows he deserves a look. The man remains an enigma, as he did to all who knew him, but his art displays its own obsessive charm. I’ll definitely seek an opportunity to show this at the Clark sometime, and also get the dvd for the excellent extras it is reputed to contain. (2002, Sund/T, n.) *6+*