“The paintings of James Gill look as contemporary as the morning newspaper; but the important thing we find in these paintings that the newspapers overlook is an intimate glimpse of the faces involved in front-page stories.” William Inge, American playwright and novelist
If one word sums up the USA in the 1960s, it is revolution. From anti-war protests to sexual liberation, it was a decade of change. Against a backdrop of the Vietnam War and President John. F. Kennedy’s assassination, Pop Art exploded, and with it the artworld changed forever. At the forefront of the movement was James Francis Gill, a Texas-born architectural designer who had caught the eye of Felix Landau – one of the most respected art dealers on the East and West coast. Once a 12-year-old San Angelo boy, painting landscapes on his living room wall, he would go on to count Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Indiana and Andy Warhol amongst his peers. From a stint in the United States Marine Corps to breakfast with John Wayne, James’ life has been as colourful as his art. Celebrated for his montage effects, he captures the American Dream through intimate portraits of stars like Marilyn Monroe, Bob Dylan and Grace Kelly. His painterly style has been likened to Francis Bacon, while the New York Times in 1962 prophesied that his art was ‘jazzy and up- to-date…an artist to watch’. Following a long list of celebrity collectors and an international breakthrough at the Sao Paulo 9 Biennale (1967), James went into self-imposed exile
in 1972 to develop his artistic expression away from the constraints of the material world. During this time, his ‘Marilyn Triptych’ stayed in the permanent collection of New York’s Museum of Modern Art, where it resides to this day. The artwork – featured in a January 25, 1963 article in Life magazine – symbolises James’ lasting influence on generations of artists. As one of the last living Pop Art pioneers, his unique take on iconic imagery has been realised for a stunning new series of serigraphs. In a similarly turbulent time to when it all began, the collection marks the first time the artist has visited England since 1965, and with it the very definite return of James Francis Gill.
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