Jess Paintings and Paste-ups at TIBOR DE NAGY GALLERY

James Kalm ignores the sweltering heat wave to visit this astounding exhibition of works by legendary San Francisco artist Jess. Since rejecting a career in nuclear physics to pursue his unique vision of art, Jess (Burgess Collins, 1923-2004) has created one of the most influential reputations on the West Coast. With an independence of thought, Jess evolved an unmistakable painting style, as well as carried the tradition of collage to new heights of richness and complexity. This is the first New York gallery show in over twenty years and the first in-depth presentation of the work since the Whitney's "Grand Collage" retrospective in 1994.

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• James
• Kalm
• Jess
• Burgess
• Collins
• Robert
• Duncan
• Tibor
• De
• Nagy
• Gallery
• art
• painting
• collage
• drawing
• Surrealism
• psychedelic

[McCainTheTurdburglar]

There was a great exhibition on the west coast not too long ago based around Wallace Berman and that whole Semina scene. Wonder if it made it to New York. I think Berman is someone who is due some major recognition.

[MrWowforever]

maybe what passes as 'normal' is just a condition of conformity and a few folks are wonderfully indignant and don't give a shit, without even realizing it and thus seeming eccentric only to all of us paralyzed clones......contrived weirdness is always a ghost dance from cases of arrested development, you know it when you see it......thanks, as always, for the response:)

[Mattstudioapparatus]

I have always likened Jess to a kind of psychadelic A.P.Ryder.

Now that I think of it, Deborah Kahn over at Bowery has some of the same wrinkly thick paint moves too.

[jameskalm]

Mr.Wow,

I guess my point would be that true eccentrics, or naives or obsessives don't know they're weird. Contrived weirdness is just as false and off putting as the pointless drive for novelty.

[jameskalm]

That is a firm and unequivocal maybe...

[LawrenceCharlesMille]

and I never wore that mullet hair attachment again!!!

[purewonka]

Ah , Jess, have always loved his work. Am excited to see this. I had no clue that he had a show in NYC right now. Thanks.

[MrWowforever]

even eccentrics can have the heart broken:(...............on the question of eccentric painting, i always see eccentric used to describe painters who work within a tradition while also working against it. such as the monochrome tradition, the opposite of a continuous field of color is an active (obsessive) field. these things are in the air and not just the result of schools churning out pseudo-whatevers, but i agree with mr. kalms points also.

[LawrenceCharlesMille]

So if age isn't a stigma, might it be a good time for older painters to emerge? Assuming they have the right-stuff.

[jameskalm]

Many had their prices pumped up top unsustainable levels in six months. This was a major complaint of older artists. Now, with so many of these overnight wonders crashing and burning, the "market" is looking at the geezers, folks with track records and inventories, as a more reliable commodity.