Biography from Houston Center For Contemporary Art:
| CONTEMPORARY ARTS MUSEUM HOUSTON SHOWCASES JIM LOVE’S
SCULPTURE IN HIS FIRST MAJOR MUSEUM EXHIBITION IN 20 YEARS
Nearly 200 Pieces of Houston Sculptor’s Work Celebrate the Art of Assemblage
HOUSTON (March 1, 2006) –Beginning April 22, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston will present Jim Love: From Now On,
the first major museum exhibition in 20 years to focus on the work of
the recently deceased Houston sculptor. Organized by Senior
Curator Lynn M. Herbert, the exhibition will be on view through July 2.
“The work of Jim Love is an example of the power of contemporary art to
change our perception of the world. In Love’s work, we find new
and meaningful experiences in ostensibly mundane objects, materials,
and images. The artist’s
inspired use of industrial materials to form new icons of the everyday
has enriched the lives of many, and we are proud to honor his work and
his memory with this exhibition,” said Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
Director Marti Mayo.
Jim Love: From Now On is the first major exhibition of Love’s
work in 20 years, bringing together nearly 200 works from 1957 to the
present. The exhibition will feature his early “put togethers” or assemblage work from the 1950s, his signature bears,
birds, and dogs that take on life’s dilemmas, his range of work that
explores flowers as a motif, his portraits, theatrical tableaux, and functional designs for furniture.
Love first gained national recognition in 1961 when his work was
included in The Museum of Modern Art's groundbreaking exhibition The Art of Assemblage. He began his career as an urban archaeologist of sorts, creating his early “put-together”
sculptures out of items found in junkyards and later welding original
forms of iron and steel. He elevated ordinary objects to
inventive and often amusing works of art through his use of the
Surrealist- and Dada-influenced practice of assemblage, creating a body
of work that includes oversized birds, jacks, and flowers as well as
functional sculptures such as a chess set, coat racks, and
chairs.
Love was an important part of the early history of the
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, acting as a preparator and partner to
Jermaine MacAgy, the institution’s first professional director, in the
conceptualization, design and execution of several now legendary
exhibitions of the 1960s. He also sustained a long-time
collaboration as an artist and designer with Houston collectors Jean
and Dominique de Menil.
Known for his public commissions in Houston, such as Call Ernie (1985) at William P. Hobby Airport and Portable Trojan Bear
(1974) in Hermann Park, Love’s work is also included in the permanent
collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art and The Museum of
Modern Art in New York; the Dallas Museum of Art; The Menil Collection,
Houston; and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Love was born in 1927 in Amarillo, Texas, and moved to Houston after
his graduation from Baylor University, where he received a BBA (1952)
in business administration. The sculptor collaborated with
exhibition curator Lynn Herbert on the retrospective before his
untimely death in May 2005.
“Love’s greatest skill was his inspired ability to give new life to
everyday objects. His works exude the quiet poetry of Joseph Cornell’s
shadowboxes and the visionary inspiration found in Picasso’s
found-object sculptures. In Love’s work, one finds a unique
combination of humor, poetry, refinement, and sympathy for human
weakness,” said exhibition curator Herbert. “This exhibition is a
testament to his artistic influence in Texas and across the U.S.”
The exhibition will be accompanied by a major catalogue containing
essays by Herbert, book designer Don Quaintance, novelist Paula Webb,
and artist Mel Chin. It will also include reprinted comments by
the late collector and art historian Dominique de Menil from an earlier
publication, comprehensive reproductions of work included in the
exhibition as well as of Love’s large-scale, public works, and complete
documentation on his career.
A number of education programs for adults, families and schools will
accompany the exhibition at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston.
EXHIBITION FUNDING AND SUPPORT
Jim Love: From Now On is made possible by major grants from Fayez
Sarofim, Louisa Stude Sarofim, and Mr. and Mrs. Wallace S. Wilson. The
exhibition has also received support from The Citigroup Private Bank,
Joan Wich, and Union Pacific Foundation.
Exhibitions presented in The Brown Foundation Gallery are supported by
the patrons, benefactors, and donors to the Museum's Major Exhibition
Fund:
Submitted by Stephanie Reeves
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