Jess: Paste Ups and Assemblies, 1953-1983

by Michael Auping, R.B. Kitaj (Foreword), Jess Collins (Illustrator)

From Preface: "Even within the rather compact community involved with contemporary art, the name Jess may not have a familiar ring. Early in a career that began relatively late in life by today's standards, Jess retired to his house and studio in San Francisco, admitted only a few intimate friends, and occasionally showed his work in New York and San Francisco. Jess - the artist dropped his surname some years ago - is an 'outsider' of sorts, supported by a small but loyal following of private collectors and museum professionals who perhaps find in the artist's work what Jane Livingston of the Corcoran Gallery of Art has called a 'horrible fascination.' Jess' art consists of a perplexing world of contrasting historical styles, none of which can fully accommodate or mask the artist's personal eccentricities. While kinship with the Symbolists, Surrealists, Abstract Expressionists, Pop artists and the San Francisco Beat scene is variously evident, the poetic matrix which characterizes Jess' art is, above all else, an extremely personal form of reality. The present exhibition focuses on Jess' Paste-Ups, the artist's modest term for intricate collages made from old magazines, engravings, and newspapers. While they represent only one aspect of the artist's oeuvre, which also includes painting and assemblage, the Paste-Ups are the most intriguing and baffling, their range of personal and historical reference the most dense and inclusive. The Paste-Ups constitute a continuous body of work that reflects a relatively comprehensive biography of Jess' development...." Published by The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in 1983 as the catalogue for an exhibition, December 9, 1983 - February 5, 1984. Illustrated with 66 photographs of the artist's work, most in full color.

157 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1983

About the author

Michael Auping is chief curator at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas.

Reviews

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review of the most recent Jess exhibition can be read (by subscribers to The Nation) at http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080623/schwabsky

[Mills College Library]

709.2 J581a 1983