Art Disposal Service

In the late '60s, artist John Manno used to park his van in front of chic Los Angeles galleries. It had a large sign on its side that read, “Art Disposal Service.” Manno was there to get rid of unnecessary art. He eventually leased a San Diego franchise of Art Disposal Service to local artist Bob Matheny, who taught in the art department at Southwestern College. Matheny signed a contract, kept the name, and quickly designed a lab coat for himself. For the last 40 years, Matheny, now 84, has tried to get artists, collectors and curators to take their excess art to the dump.