Sidney Felsen Decorates an Envelope

2026 · 14 min

Sidney Felsen, who passed away in 2024 at age 99, was a true Los Angeles institution. He co-founded Gemini G.E.L. alongside Stanley Grinstein in 1966 and spent decades overseeing, photographing, and befriending some of the greatest postwar American artists of his generation. Sidney kept a quiet, joyful ritual: decorating the envelopes that carried artists’ royalty checks, using his beloved collection of postage and rubber stamps that filled his iconic office — a room filled with photographs of every artist he had ever worked with. It was Julie Mehretu who first introduced Tacita to Gemini. Knowing Sidney’s deep affection for Julie, Dean asked him to decorate an envelope for her. The result is this poignant 14-minute film: Sidney, impeccably dressed as always, at his desk, doing what he loved most.

Directed by Tacita Dean