Description:

Burgess Jess Collins
American, (1923 - 2004)
But Don't Mind me Cause I Ain't Nothin but a Dream, 1970
mixed media printed paper collage
Signed and dated lower left.

Biography from the Archives of askART: The artist Jess was born Burgess Collins in 1923 in Long Beach California. Jess initially was educated as a chemist and in his career worked on the production of plutonium for the Manhattan Project. In 1949 he abandoned his scientific career and moved to San Francisco where he enrolled in the California School of Fine Arts. Burgess Collins then changed his name to "Jess." In 1951 Jess met poet, Robert Duncan, and began a relationship that lasted until Duncan's death in 1988.

Duncan and Jess worked together to expand and refine a study of world literature and art focused in myths, symbols and archetypes. The couple was active in the Bay Area poetry and art scene. They were good friends with Jay Spicer, Helen Adam, Wallace Berman, Patricia Jordan, Jay DeFeo and Michael McClure. With painter Harry Jacobus the pair ran the King Ubu Gallery in 1952-1953.

Jess created collages to make political and social commentary as well as narrative landscapes. His strongest group of work was Translations (1959-1976) which consisted of 32 paintings of odd images schematically outlined and rendered in a paint by number style canvas. Jess's final work was a six by five foot drawing titled, Narkissos a tableau of symbolic imagery from Greek myths.

Jess died January 2, 2004 from natural causes.

Source:
Michael Duncan, Art in America, March 2004

  • Dimensions: 14 1/2"H x 9 1/4"W (sight), 21"H x 15 1/2"W (frame)
  • Medium: mixed media printed paper collage

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February 10, 2024 11:00 AM EST
Indianapolis, IN, US

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