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James Esber

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James Esber
Born1961 (age 62–63)
Cleveland, Ohio
EducationCleveland Institute of Art, Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Temple University in Rome
Styleneo-pop
SpouseJane Fine

James Esber is an artist based in Brooklyn, New York. He is known for paintings that utilize a wide range of materials, including Plasticine, to distort and reconstruct images of American pop culture.[1][2]

Along with his wife, the artist Jane Fine, he creates collaborative drawings under the pseudonym "J. Fiber".[3][4]

Career

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Esber moved to New York in 1986 and quickly settled in the nascent art community of Williamsburg.[5] He came to prominence as one of only ten artists from New York, including Lisa Yuskavage and John Currin, who were chosen for the Art Under 30: FIAR International Prize, curated by Dan Cameron.[6]

In the early 1990s, Esber completed a series of works called Hate Images, begun while a fellow at the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center.[7] These paintings transformed images of recognizable stereotypes by distorting them beyond easy recognition, and were similar to the works shown at his first solo exhibition at Pierogi 2000 in Williamsburg.[8] Distortion and plasticity continue to inform Esber's practice, which, described by the artist and critic Drew Lowenstein can be characterized by "grotesque, trippy amalgams on canvas and in plasticine wall adhesions".[9]

Another aspect of this Esber's practice concerns the transformation of presidents Abraham Lincoln and Richard Nixon, which David Geers referred to as a type of historical portraiture in BOMB.[10] Tricky Dick (1997-1998), a flattened and warped cartoon of Richard Nixon, was included in the Pop Surrealism exhibition from 1998 curated by Richard Klein, Dominique Nahas, Harry Philbrick, and Ingrid Schaffner for the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art.[11]

Esber is also known for works that involve participatory art practice, including This Is Not a Portrait (2009-2011), in which over a hundred people were tasked with making an ink drawing of Osama bin Laden during the War in Afghanistan.[12]

Major exhibitions

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Esber's work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. A retrospective exhibition of his work was held at the Clifford Gallery at Colgate University, where he showed four decades of work.[13] Solo exhibitions have been held at museums and galleries including the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, PPOW, and the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art.[14][15][16] Group exhibitions include My Reality: Contemporary Art and the Culture of Japanese Animation at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Now What? at the Norton Museum of Art, and SITE Santa Fe’s Fifth International Biennial: Disparities and Deformations: Our Grotesque, curated by Robert Storr.[17] [18]

Awards, fellowships, and residencies

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Selected solo and collaborative exhibitions

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Selected group exhibitions

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Public collections

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Bibliography

[edit]
  • Carey, Brainard (3 June 2010). "Interview with James Esber". Museum of Non-visual Art. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  • Geers, David (Fall 2016). "James Esber". BOMB Magazine (137): 156–57. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  • Bisbort, Alan (19 May 2011). "The Bin Laden Bounce" (PDF). Hartford Advocate. p. 33. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 July 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  • Miller, Robert (3 May 2011). "A Sudden Shift of History" (PDF). News-Times.
  • Smith, Roberta (23 December 2010). "An Artist and His Friends Take on Bin Laden". New York Times.
  • Chayka, Kyle (14 December 2010). "Drawings of Portraits of Osama Bin Laden at Pierogi". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  • Davis, Brendan (February 2009). "James Esber" (PDF). Art Interview Online Magazine. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  • Supanick, Jim (4 April 2008). "Makin' Whoopee: A Conversation with J. Fiber, James Esber and Jane Fine with Jim Supanick". The Brooklyn Rail (April 2008).
  • Hankins, Evelyn (2007). Material Pursuits (exhibition catalog). Robert Hull Fleming Museum, University of Vermont.
  • "Goings On About Town: (Un)natural Selection". New Yorker (30 July 2007).
  • Patterson, Tom (28 January 2007). "The Fine Art of Distortion" (PDF). Winston Salem Journal.

References

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  1. ^ Brown, David (January 2007). James Esber: American Delirium (Exhibition catalog essay). Southeast Center for Contemporary Art. Archived from the original on 2007-01-28.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  2. ^ Geers, David (2016). "James Esber". BOMB (137): 156–157. ISSN 0743-3204. JSTOR 24878895.
  3. ^ Richards, Ramona (16 April 2009). "Jane Fine". Middlebury Campus. 107 (22): 17 – via JSTOR.
  4. ^ Supanick, Jim (2008-04-04). "Makin' Whoopee: A Conversation with J. Fiber, James Esber and Jane Fine with Jim Supanick". The Brooklyn Rail. Archived from the original on 2024-06-24. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
  5. ^ Davis, Brendan (February 2009). "Brendan Davis and James Esber". Art Interview Online Magazine.[dead link‍]
  6. ^ "Art under 30 : FIAR International Prize, Milano, Roma, Paris, London, New York, Los Angeles | WorldCat.org". search.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
  7. ^ Behrens, Mary (1996). "The Hate Images of James Esber". Provincetown Arts. 12: 88 – via EBSCO.
  8. ^ Smith, Roberta (1997-10-03). "Art In Review". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2024-07-13. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
  9. ^ "James Esber". artcritical. 2000-12-01. Archived from the original on 2022-12-01. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
  10. ^ Geers, David (2016). "James Esber". BOMB (137): 156–157. ISSN 0743-3204. JSTOR 24878895.
  11. ^ Adelman, Shonagh; Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, eds. (1998). Pop surrealism: June 7 - August 30, 1998, The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art; [Shonagh Adelman, John Alfano...Michael Zansky]. Ridgefield, Conn: The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art. ISBN 978-1-888332-08-7.
  12. ^ Smith, Roberta (2010-12-22). "An Artist and His Friends Take on Bin Laden". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2024-07-08. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
  13. ^ "James Esber: 87 Ways to Kill Time – Clifford Gallery". Archived from the original on 2024-07-08. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
  14. ^ "James Esber: Your Name Here". The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. Archived from the original on 2023-06-01. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
  15. ^ "SECCA | Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art". 2007-01-28. Archived from the original on 2007-01-28. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
  16. ^ Johnson, Ken (2003-04-11). "ART IN REVIEW; James Esber". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2015-05-27. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
  17. ^ Silberman, Robert (2005). "SITE Biennial. Santa Fe". The Burlington Magazine. 147 (1222): 66–68. ISSN 0007-6287. JSTOR 20073838.
  18. ^ Klein, Lee (2003). "Art on the Eve of Destruction". PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art. 25 (3): 20–25. doi:10.1162/152028103322491656. ISSN 1520-281X. JSTOR 3246416.
  19. ^ "James Esber at Pierogi". 17 April 2016. Archived from the original on 2019-08-24.
  20. ^ "James Esber: 87 Ways to Kill Time – Clifford Gallery". Archived from the original on 2024-07-08.
  21. ^ Maine, Stephen (5 May 2011). "The Aldrich at a Crossroads". Art Critical. Archived from the original on 2020-08-11.
  22. ^ Miller, Robert (3 May 2011). "Images of Osama Take on New Meaning at Aldrich". Archived from the original on 2020-08-04. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  23. ^ Smith, Roberta (22 December 2010). "An Artist and His Friends Take on Bin Laden". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2022-06-17.
  24. ^ Patterson, Tom (2007-01-28). "The Fine Art of Distortion" (PDF). Winston-Salem Journal. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-07-12. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  25. ^ Johnson, Ken (11 April 2003). "ART IN REVIEW; James Esber". The New York Times.
  26. ^ "Out of Character". Archived from the original on 2024-07-10. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  27. ^ "A S K e W - - Exhibitions - DC Moore Gallery". DC Moore Gallery. 2024-07-23. Archived from the original on 2024-07-10. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  28. ^ "Re:Representation - Part I - Curated by Dan Cameron - Exhibitions - FERRARA SHOWMAN GALLERY".
  29. ^ "FLEX". 2024-07-10. Archived from the original on 2024-07-10. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  30. ^ "One Work". 2024-07-10. Archived from the original on 2024-07-10. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  31. ^ "Beasts of Revelation - Group Exhibition - Exhibitions - DC Moore Gallery". 2024-07-12. Archived from the original on 2024-07-10. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  32. ^ Vogel, Carol (2010-10-14). "A Museum Exhibition Assembled on the Fly". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
  33. ^ "WALL ROCKETS: Contemporary Artists and ed Ruscha | Buffalo AKG Art Museum". 2024-07-15. Archived from the original on 2024-07-10. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  34. ^ "Juxtapoz Factor Laguna 08 Fairey - Green/Gold". 2024-07-23. Archived from the original on 2024-07-10. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  35. ^ "Weatherspoon Art Museum - Art on Paper 2008". 2024-07-23. Archived from the original on 2024-07-10. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  36. ^ "WALL ROCKETS: Contemporary Artists and Ed Ruscha". 2023-07-23. Archived from the original on 2024-07-10. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  37. ^ "UAlbany Feature - Portrait Exhibition Tweaks Mythic Views of U.S. Presidents". 2007-01-12. Archived from the original on 2024-07-10. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  38. ^ "On View: Exhibitions and Events" (PDF). University of Vermont. 2024-07-10. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-07-10. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  39. ^ "Don't Know Much About History". 2006-10-18. Archived from the original on 2024-07-10. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  40. ^ "Twice Drawn, Part 1". 2024-07-23. Archived from the original on 2024-07-10. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  41. ^ "Twice Drawn, Part 2". Tang Museum. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
  42. ^ "My Reality: Contemporary Art and the Culture of Japanese Animation - Exhibitions - Independent Curators International". Curators International. 2024-07-19. Archived from the original on 2024-07-10. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
  43. ^ "Weatherspoon Art Museum - Art on Paper 2000". 2024-07-23. Archived from the original on 2024-07-10. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  44. ^ "Brooklyn, New Work | September 04, 1999 | Contemporary Arts Center". Brooklyn Museum. Archived from the original on 2024-07-10. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  45. ^ "Pop Surrealism". Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art. Archived from the original on 2024-07-10. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  46. ^ "Hide and Seek : A Summer Residency | WorldCat.org". search.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  47. ^ Karmel, Pepe (24 March 1995). "Art in Review". The New York Times.
  48. ^ "Faux". Archived from the original on 2023-01-10.
  49. ^ "Ten Painters". White Columns. Archived from the original on 2023-03-07.
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