DOCSLIB.ORG

About Face: Revisiting Jamaica's First Exhibition in Europe

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
About Face: Revisiting Jamaica's First Exhibition in Europe “About Face: Revisiting Jamaica’s First Exhibition in Europe” Exhibit online, with video and more: http://dloc.com/exhibits/aboutface PDF version of online exhibit provided for use in ease in teaching. See the full online exhibit, with video and links to additional resources, in the Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC): http://dloc.com/exhibits/aboutface * Reproduction, including downloading of works is prohibited by copyright laws and international conventions without the express written permission of the artists. 9/9/2016 About Face: Revisiting Jamaica's First Exhibition in Europe HOME GALLERY CATALOGUE ARTISTS REVIEWS POP CULTURE CREDITS About Face revisits Jamaica's first exhibition to tour Europe after gaining independence in 1962. Use this site to view its images, review the original catalogue and understand the context of Face of Jamaica almost fifty years ago. Face of Jamaica ­ The 1963­64 Exhibition About Face Face of Jamaica toured Europe for nine months between 1963 and 1964 and it was never viewed in Jamaica. Almost fifty years later, the exhibition About Face: Revisiting Jamaica's First Exhibition in Europe reconsiders that touring show by collating and re­presenting its art and related materials online. Using this interactive format, we invite you to see much of the show as it was staged back then, to look at many of the original pieces displayed; to study its catalogue, and to consider its various locations as well as its reception through newspaper clippings and reviews. Text panels, photography and multimedia such as music and video are all to be employed to help re­envisage this exhibition. Rather than reconstructing the exhibition in its entirety, curators Petrine Archer and Claudia Hucke work with a selection of its objects to deconstruct the original display and consider Jamaican art's meaning in the context of the 1960s art world and contemporary scholarship. By restaging the exhibition for the 50th anniversary of Jamaica's independence online they provide access to an event only previously experienced in Europe. They hope that this online display can serve as a research tool for those interested in understanding how the visual arts supported new definitions of nation. The exhibition remains online for the year of Jamaica's 50th anniversary celebration, after which part of its materials will be archived in dLOC (Digital Library of the Caribbean). After centuries of colonial rule, Jamaica became independent from Britain on 6 August 1962. It was a time of great optimism. After centuries of colonial rule and decades of political tussles, Jamaicans were taking charge of their own governance. Princess Margaret paid a royal visit to support the celebrations and the national stadium was the scene of festivities with marching bands, parades and dancing. The sound of calypsonian Lord Creator's song Independent Jamaica played: in cars, homes and on street corners. His refrain, “I believe that if we try our best, it will be a great success, so let us live in unity for progress and prosperity,” seemed to reflect everyone's hope for the future. A year later, its first major international exhibition as a sovereign country toured Germany and Britain for ten months. Titled Face of Jamaica, the exhibition comprised works from a cross­section of Jamaica's artists that included the contemporary forms of Karl Parboosingh, Barrington Watson and Eugene Hyde; sculptures by pioneer Edna Manley and a young Christopher Gonzalez and the symbolic imagery of self­taught artists such as Mallica ‘Kapo’ Reynolds and John Dunkley. The choice of Germany and Britain for its tour was a strategic one signifying the promotion of Jamaica as a tourism destination with a varied and 'exotic' culture. The exhibition strengthened commercial ties and provided fresh insight into the island's physical beauty, cultural diversity and economic sustainability. The title Face of Jamaica allowed its organizers to test its motto 'Out Of Many, One People' and present its newly independent face to the world. The show was sponsored by the Flensburg based businessman Norbert Lorck­Schierning, managing director of H.H. Pott, at that time the sole distributor of Jamaican rums in Germany. He hoped to show the German public that there is more to Jamaica than rum and wanted to introduce them to “a true picture of Jamaica, as seen through Jamaican eyes...” http://dloc.com/exhibits/aboutface 1/3 9/9/2016 About Face: Revisiting Jamaica's First Exhibition in Europe Both the German and Jamaican governments endorsed the sponsor’s concept. For Jamaica, the exhibition presented an important and welcome opportunity to promote the newly independent country, and Germany was able to demonstrate its interest in and support of a developing country. Edward Seaga, then Jamaica’s Minister of Development and Welfare established a selection committee to oversee what might be included, while art critic Norman Rae suggested the art works should be grouped into three categories work, play and worship. In the end, Face of Jamaica consisted of 48 paintings, eighteen sculptures and twelve drawings from the 1930s to the 1960s by some of the country’s leading artists as well as 299 craftworks. Gerhard Fritz Hensel Portrait of Dr. Ellen Redlefsen, Seaga made clear: “Jamaica has for many years enjoyed 1974 trade ties with Germany, and a tour of Jamaican art and Image courtesy Museumsberg crafts at this stage will certainly assist in stimulating further Flensburg ­ Städtische Museen interest as well as in presenting a more complete picture und Sammlungen für den of Jamaica to the people of Western Germany...” Landesteil Schleswig Exhibition Poster published in Flensburg Newspapers Face of Jamaica itinerary The show premiered at the Städtisches Museum in the northern town of Flensburg, where it opened on 4 August 1963. It then proceeded to Osnabrück (Ausstellungsraum Markt 1, 8–28 September 1963), Freiburg (Museum of Ethnography, 6–31 October 1963), Munich (Terrassensaal, Haus der Kunst, 6–24 November 1963), Düsseldorf (January/February 1964) and Frankfurt (Amerika­ Haus), where it closed on 13 February 1964. The following month the exhibition moved to Britain, where it opened at the Tea Centre in London on 31 March 1964. Ten days later it was sent to Birmingham before it was finally shown in Nottingham. A closer look at the choice of exhibition venues is significant to help us understand the status of Jamaican art among German cultural Flensburg Museum, c. 1958 authorities. H.H. Pott, the Image courtesy Museumsberg Flensburg ­ Städtische Museen sponsor, is a company und Sammlungen für den Landesteil Schleswig based in Flensburg, a port town in Germany’s far north. The choice of that city as first location for Face of Jamaica was an obvious one. With the Städtisches Museum, the major local museum with a focus on the arts and crafts of the Watson Flirts with Miss World region, the most prestigious exhibition space in town became Face of Jamaica’s first host. Katarina Lodders, 1962 Even though it also included craft items, the show was mainly marketed as an art exhibition. Nevertheless, it was also offered to ethnographic museums, which traditionally have collected objects from the cultural contexts of non­‘Western’ societies, in particular those that fuelled a curiosity for the foreign in the European viewer. In the end, Face of Jamaica was only shown at one ethnographic museum, the one in Freiburg. The venues in most cities other than Flensburg were communal or cultural centres – no art museums. Prominent exception was the Haus der Kunst in Munich, home of the Nazi’s notorious Great German Art exhibition, which offered its Terrassensaal to the Jamaican show. The continuation of the exhibition's tour at the Tea Centre in London also seemed Watson in Munich Talking, 1963 significant. This post­war building in the heart of the city on Regent Street was funded by various Commonwealth members with the aim of promoting their products. Its glass fronted façade and purpose­designed interior seemed ideal for signaling that the relationship between Britain and Jamaica was on a new more modern footing. The Tea Centre, Lower Regent Street, London Image from the University of Brighton Design Archives http://dloc.com/exhibits/aboutface 2/3 9/9/2016 About Face: Revisiting Jamaica's First Exhibition in Europe Haus der Kunst photo: Maximilian Geuter, courtesy Haus der Kunst The special guest of Face of Jamaica in Munich was the Jamaican beauty queen Carol Joan Crawford still in her reigning year as Miss World. Photographs of Watson meeting this stunning beauty queen at the airport in Munich, or viewing self­taught artists Kapo's work provided great fodder for society columns but they also tell us much about that post­independence moment and how Jamaica was poised to present itself to the outside world. Carol Joan Crawford as a world icon sent a message at home and abroad that Jamaica had style. Watson Greets Crawford on arrival in Germany, 1963 * Reproduction, including downloading of works is prohibited by copyright laws and international conventions without the express written permission of the artists. Home | About dLOC | Collections | Governance | Digitization | Outreach | FAQ | Contact Acceptable Use, Copyright, and Disclaimer Statement Powered by SobekCM © All rights reserved | Citing dLOC | Technical Help http://dloc.com/exhibits/aboutface 3/3 9/9/2016 About Face: Revisiting Jamaica's First Exhibition in Europe: Gallery HOME GALLERY CATALOGUE ARTISTS REVIEWS POP CULTURE CREDITS The About Face Gallery allows you to view the forty five images of works featured in the original Face of Jamaica exhibition that toured Germany and the UK between 1963 and 1964. Click on any image to see a larger view. Carl Abrahams Carl Abrahams Ralph Campbell The Last Supper, 1955 Portrait of a Girl The Old Settlement, pre­1957 National Gallery of Jamaica National Gallery of Jamaica Image courtesy of the National Gallery of Jamaica Image courtesy of the National Gallery of Jamaica Leslie Clerk Leslie Clerk Alexander Cooper Henry Daley The Secret, 1959 The Bather, c.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • View Exhibition Brochure
    1 Renée Cox (Jamaica, 1960; lives & works in New York) “Redcoat,” from Queen Nanny of the Maroons series, 2004 Color digital inket print on watercolor paper, AP 1, 76 x 44 in. (193 x 111.8 cm) Courtesy of the artist Caribbean: Crossroads of the World, organized This exhibition is organized into six themes by El Museo del Barrio in collaboration with the that consider the objects from various cultural, Queens Museum of Art and The Studio Museum in geographic, historical and visual standpoints: Harlem, explores the complexity of the Caribbean Shades of History, Land of the Outlaw, Patriot region, from the Haitian Revolution (1791–1804) to Acts, Counterpoints, Kingdoms of this World and the present. The culmination of nearly a decade Fluid Motions. of collaborative research and scholarship, this exhibition gathers objects that highlight more than At The Studio Museum in Harlem, Shades of two hundred years of history, art and visual culture History explores how artists have perceived from the Caribbean basin and its diaspora. the significance of race and its relevance to the social development, history and culture of the Caribbean: Crossroads engages the rich history of Caribbean, beginning with the pivotal Haitian the Caribbean and its transatlantic cultures. The Revolution. Land of the Outlaw features works broad range of themes examined in this multi- of art that examine dual perceptions of the venue project draws attention to diverse views Caribbean—as both a utopic place of pleasure and of the contemporary Caribbean, and sheds new a land of lawlessness—and investigate historical light on the encounters and exchanges among and contemporary interpretations of the “outlaw.” the countries and territories comprising the New World.
    [Show full text]
  • Visual Art As a Window for Studying the Caribbean Compiled and Introduced by Peter B
    Visual Art as a Window for Studying the Caribbean Compiled and introduced by Peter B. Jordens Curaçao: August 26, 2012 The present document is a compilation of 20 reviews and 36 images1 of the visual-art exhiBition Caribbean: Crossroads of the World that is Being held Between June 12, 2012 and January 6, 2013 at three cooperating museums in New York City, USA. The remarkaBle fact that Crossroads has (to date) merited no fewer than 20 fairly formal art reviews in various US newspapers and on art weBlogs can Be explained By the terms of praise in which the reviews descriBe the exhiBition: “likely the most expansive art event of the summer (p. 20 of this compilation), the summer’s BlockBuster exhiBition (p. 21), the big art event of the summer in New York (p. 15), immense (p. 34), Big, varied (p. 21), diverse (p. 10), comprehensive (p. 20), amBitious (pp. 19, 21, 22, 33, 34), impressive (p. 21), remarkaBle (p. 21), not one to miss (p. 30), wholly different and very rewarding (p. 33), satisfying (pp. 21, 33), visual feast (p. 25), Bonanza (p. 25), rare triumph (p. 21), significant (p. 13), unprecedented (p. 10), groundbreaking (pp. 13, 23), a game changer (p. 13), a landmark exhiBition (p. 13), will define all other suBsequent CariBBean surveys for years to come (p. 22).” Crossroads is the most recent tangiBle expression of an increase in interest in and recognition of CariBBean art in the CariBBean diaspora, in particular the USA and to less extent Western Europe. This increase is likely the confluence of such factors as: (1) the consolidation of CariBBean immigrant communities in North America and Europe, (2) the creative originality of artists of CariBBean heritage, (3) these artists’ greater moBility and presence in the diaspora in the context of gloBalization, especially transnational migration, travel and information flows,2 and (4) the politics of multiculturalism and of postcolonial studies.
    [Show full text]
  • Art of a New Nation
    Pgs062-066_ART 05/19/06 5:34 PM Page 63 f art would people create while throwing off f What kind o ive hundred years of slavery, colonialism, and oppression? Jamaicans only began to discover their English father and a Jamaican mother, true culture in 1922, dawn of the Jamai- Edna had married Norman Washington can Art Movement, when they began to Manley in 1921. depict real people living real lives in real Her sculptures captured the rhythm Jdignity, for the first time. Neither the of the markets and the songs of the Taino natives, nor the Spanish who con- plantations. They displayed the phy- quered them, had left much in the way "Negro Aroused" ver. iii 1982, siques and gestures of real Jamaicans. from a private collection exhibited at of art. Jamaica’s planters, leaders of an Gallery, Edna Manley College With heads up in hope, or down in English colony from 1670 to 1962, did CofAGE the Visual and Performing Arts, anger, works like “Negro Aroused” commission some art from Europe. So with the Edna Manley Foundation, (1935), “The Prophet” (1936), and “To- churches, graveyards, and squares host- morrow” (1939) became icons of the February 27 to March 2, 2006. ed fine neoclassical sculptures. Trav- new social order. Other pioneers of the elogues displayed genteel English watercolors. Hobbyists Jamaican Art Movement included Karl Parboosingh, made picturesque landscapes and florals. Albert Huie, Carl Abrahams, Barrington Watson, Mallica But where were all the bright colors and traditional “Kapo” Reynolds, Michael Lester, and Cecil Baugh. wood carvings of the Africans? Even though 95 percent of Extrovert Karl Parboosingh, born 1923 in St.
    [Show full text]
  • Haptic Tactility: How Design Processes Can Remediate Identities Past and Present
    Haptic tactility: how design processes can remediate identities past and present Marcia Swaby A thesis in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy School of Art and Design Faculty of Art and Design January 2018 I PLEASE TYPE THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES Thesis/Dissertation Sheet I Surname or Family name: Swaby First name: Marcia Other name/s: Annette I Abbreviation for degree as given in the University calendar: MPhil School:.School of Art and Design Faculty: Faculty of Art and Design Title: Haptic tactility: how design processes can remediate I identities past and present Abstract 350 words maximum: (PLEASE TYPE) There is little known of the prehistory of the Caribbean and the Taino people- the firstinhabitants of the region. From the island of Jamaica, significantTaino artefacts are currently held in storage in the British Museum. This project explores how one 'brings to life' their identities, and how this may engage with contemporary jewellery and object making practices. The project has wider implications forminority communities- particularly for those subjugated by western imperialism from the end of the fifteenth Century to the late nineteenth century and, arguably, formany up to and including the various independence movements fo11owingWorld War Two. This period has contributed to the many factors that create an invisibility of black artists and their contributions to a wider art history. In addressing the significant problem of 'invisibility', the aim of this thesis is to investigate how contemporary jewellery and object making processes, methods and outcomes can act as catalysts forre-integrating fragmented and dispersed relationships.
    [Show full text]
  • Jamaica Journal Index with Abstracts 1990 – 2008
    Jamaica Journal Index with abstracts 1990 – 2008 Compiled by : Cheryl Kean and Karlene Robinson University of the West Indies, Mona. Preface Coverage The purpose of this index is to articles that have been published in the Jamaica Journal since 1997. It covers the following issues:- Vol 23 no. 1 (1990) to Volume 31 nos. 1 & 2 (2008). All articles, book reviews, poems and short stories are included in the index. Arrangement The index is arranged in two sections. The first section is a general List of abstracts arranged alphabetically by the first named author or title. This is a list of all articles that are included in this index with an abstract provided for each article with the exception of book reviews, stories and poems. All entries are numbered. The second section is an Author and keyword list. The number that is listed beside each term corresponds to the number that is given to each entry in the general list of abstracts. Library of Congress Subject Headings were used to generate the list of keywords for all the entries in the index with the exception of a few cases where no appropriate terms existed to capture the subject material. List of Abstrtacts 1. The Altamont DaCosta Institute. Jamaica Journal 2000; 27(1):Back cover. Abstract: This article presents a brief biography of Altamont DaCosta, former mayor and custos of Kingston. The Institute was the former dwelling house of Mr. DaCosta and was willed to the people of Jamaica in 1935. 2. The Calabash tree (crescentia cujete). Jamaica Journal 2008; 31(1-2):Back cover.
    [Show full text]
  • Summer 2021 7/24/2021-7/25/2021 LOT # LOT
    Summer 2021 7/24/2021-7/25/2021 LOT # LOT # 1 Chinese 14K Gold Figural Dragon on Stand 3 8 pcs. Meiji Japanese Silver Tea Set, Iris Decorat Chinese 14K gold (tested) figural dragon, Asian Export Sterling Silver Tea Service with depicted standing with raised head. Fitted with high relief iris decorations, eight (8) pieces. a conforming hardwood stand. 2" H x 3 1/2" W. ARTHUR & BOND, STERLING, and 73.3 grams. Provenance: the estate of Camille YOKOHAMA stamped to underside of bases. Gift, Nashville, Tennessee by descent from Sara Includes a kettle on stand, coffee pot, teapot, tea Joan Wilde (1923-2014), Colorado Springs, caddy, covered sugar bowl, creamer, CO. Mrs. Wilde and her husband, Lt. Col. Adna double-handled waste bowl, and a pair of sugar Godfrey Wilde (1920-2008) traveled tongs. Also includes an International Silver extensively throughout Asia as part of his career Company burner. Pieces ranging in size from 9 as an officer with the U.S. Army. Condition: 3/4" H x 8" W to 1" H x 5" L. 116.60 total troy Overall very good condition. 2,400.00 - ounces. Meiji Period. Provenance: private 2,600.00 Chattanooga collection. Consignor's Quantity: 1 grandparents acquired this set and the Arthur & Bond teacups also in this auction (see lot #3) while traveling in Asia in the early 1900s. Condition: All items in overall very good condition. Handles slightly loose to teapots. 2 Asian Export Silver Cocktail Set, incl. Shaker, Be 4,800.00 - 5,200.00 Japanese export silver cocktail set, comprised of Quantity: 1 one (1) shaker, eight (8) beaker style liqueur cups, and one (1) tray with wooden center insert and silver rim, 14 items total.
    [Show full text]
  • Beyond Context Rethinking John Dunkley
    Beyond Context Rethinking John Dunkley Diana Nawi and Nicole Smythe-Johnson Nawi and Smythe-Johnson 10 Portrait of John Dunkley, n.d., Kingston John Dunkley: Neither Day nor the subject not only of art historical analyses, but also within Night has two central objec- the narrative of a broader nationalist cultural agenda, he left no tives. First, to locate and bring written or oral first-person record. The narrative of his “discov- together, for the first time since ery” by English art historian Hender Delves Molesworth and his 1976—and for the first time close association with Edna and Norman Manley (particularly ever in the United States—a the former) positions him in the orbit of the political inner circle substantial selection of works of his period. Dunkley is often portrayed as a mentee under the by the Jamaican artist John influence of these important figures, among others, and encour- Dunkley. Only by seeing these aged and exposed to art history and exhibition opportunities by works together may we under- them.1 However, it is also recorded that Dunkley rejected offers stand Dunkley’s particular and to study with Edna Manley, and Molesworth thought better than precise visual language. to interfere with the artist’s technique—evidence of Dunkley’s autonomy and his belief in his unique vision.2 An equally significant goal of the exhibition, and especially In his essay, Boxer indexes a palpable anxiety around questions of this accompanying catalogue, is to contextualize Dunkley in of Jamaican identity in the 1930s—whether it would come into its his historical moment.
    [Show full text]
  • Ebony G Patterson 2012 CV
    Ebony G. Patterson (b.1981, Kingston. Jamaica) Education 2000‐2004 Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts Honors Diploma in Painting 2004‐2006 Sam Fox College of Art and Design, Washington University in St. Louis Printmaking/ Drawing , MFA Awards , Grants, Fellowships and Scholarships 2012 Mugrave Award , Bronze Medal in the Arts, Institute of Jamaica 2011 Rex Nettleford Fellowship for Cultural Studies ­An annual award awarded by the Rhodes Trust in Britain to member of the British Commonwealth residing in the Caribbean .The award provides funding to the fellow to realize a proposed project along with funding for Travel. The award is 10,000 GBP for the project and 2,000GBP for Travel. The award has been in existence for five years. Patterson is the first artist to receive the award. Small Axe Inc and Andy Warhol Foundation for the Art Grant ­ Grant was provided to develop the ‘of 72’ Project. Young Alumni award of Distinction, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 2010 Honorary Mention for the Aaron Mattalon Award, National Gallery of Jamaica, Kingston Jamaica College of Fine Arts Travel Fellowship, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY ‐Fellowship in support of installation project at the 2010 National Biennial at the National Gallery of Jamaica, Kingston Jamaica. 2009 College of Fine Arts Travel Fellowship , University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY ‐Fellowship is in support of an installation project at the first, ‘Ghetto Biennale’, in Port‐ Au‐Prince , Haiti 2008 Invited Artist for the Jamaica Biennial, National
    [Show full text]
  • Including 2016 Titles Visit Us at To
    Welcome to our Spring/Summer 2017 catalogue! Including 2016 titles Peepal Tree brings you the very best of international writing from the Caribbean, its diasporas and the UK. Founded in 1985, Peepal Tree has published over 350 books and has grown to become the world’s leading publisher of Caribbean and Black British Writing. Our goal is to publish books that make a difference, and though we always want to achieve the best possible sales, we’re most concerned with whether a book will still be alive and have value in the future. Visit us at www.peepaltreepress.com to discover more. Peepal Tree Press 17 Kings Avenue, Leeds LS6 1QS, United Kingdom +44 (0)1 1 3 2451703 info @ peepaltreepress.com www.peepaltreepress.com 1 Madwoman SHARA MCCALLUM “These wonderful poems open a world of sensation and memory. But it is a world revealed by language, never just controlled. The voice that guides the action here is openhearted and openminded—a lyric presence that never deserts the subject or the reader. Syntax, craft and cadence add to the gathering music from poem to poem with—to use a beautiful phrase from the book, ‘each note tethering sound to meaning.’” —Eavan Boland Sometimes haunting and elusive, but ultimately transformative, the poems in Shara McCallum’s latest collection Madwoman chart and intertwine three stages of a woman’s life from childhood to adulthood to motherhood. Rich with the 9781845233396 / 72 pages / £8.99 POETRY complexities that join these states of being, the poems wrestle with the idea of Print / 23 JAN 2017 being girl, woman and mother all at once.
    [Show full text]
  • Best of 2017: Our Top 20 Exhibitions Across the United States
    Best of 2017: Our Top 20 Exhibitions Across the United States https://hyperallergic.com/417933/best-of-2017-our-top-20-exhibit... ARTICLES Best of 2017: Our Top 20 Exhibitions Across the United States You won’t find too many blockbuster names on this year’s list, which is dominated by timely themes and under-recognized artists. !"#$%&''$%()* +$*$,-$%./01./203 This year, our favorite shows in the US were especially quirky. There aren’t many blockbuster names on this list; instead, most of these exhibitions thoughtfully explore a theme, or introduce an overlooked (photo by Allison Meier/illustration by Hrag artist from the past. The various Vartanian) museums, galleries, and spaces featured here span from the Bay Area to Boston (we have separate lists for Brooklyn, New York City, and Los Angeles). In our top selections, we chose to highlight three longer- term projects and series that impressed us in the depth of their research and ambition of their scope. With so many shows coming and going, it’s refreshing to see organizations and museums committing to a single idea 1 of 18 1/2/19, 1:23 PM Best of 2017: Our Top 20 Exhibitions Across the United States https://hyperallergic.com/417933/best-of-2017-our-top-20-exhibit... or theme for long periods. 1. The Road Less Traveled at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center Throughout 2017 The John Michael Kohler Arts Center (JMKAC) celebrated its 50th anniversary with a year-long rotation of its collection of art environments, from the glitter- adorned home of Loy Bowlin (aka the “Rhinestone Cowboy”) to Fred Smith’s concrete and glass sculptures of people and animals.
    [Show full text]
  • Brown, Everald CV
    210 eleventh avenue, ste 201 new york, ny 10001 t 212 226 3768 f 212 226 0155 CAVIN-MORRIS GALLERY e [email protected] www.cavinmorris.com EVERALD BROWN (born 1917 in Clarendon, Jamaica; died 2003 in Brooklyn,! NY) A carpenter by trade, Brown began painting and carving in the late 1960’s while living in Kingston. At this time Brown, who was a self-ordained priest of a sect related to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, was inspired by a vision to decorate a small church he had built. In addition to adorning the church with his paintings, he also carved ceremonial objects for it. These first works were very well received not only by his own congregation, but by other visitors. This encouraged Brown to continue painting and carving. He began participating in exhibitions and in the early 1970’s received several awards for his work. Because of the close connection between Brown’s artistic and spiritual life, his imagery drew heavily upon his spiritual experiences (including his interest in Rastafarianism), and his visions. In the early 1970’s Brown left Kingston to move to the country with his family. They settled in the remote district of Murray Mountain, the hills near St. Ann. Here on a limestone hill, named Meditation Heights, Brown built a house. The early years on Murray Mountain were especially productive and Brown produced many works, including the first of his highly decorative musical instruments (the drums, dove harps and star banjoes). Since then Brown has continued to live and work in his private sanctuary on Murray Mountain, inspired by nature and his mystical !visions.
    [Show full text]
  • May 26, 2017 – Jan. 14, 20 18
    Pérez Art Museum Miami Presents John Dunkley: Neither Day nor Night, Opening May 26, 2017 Exhibition brings together paintings and sculptures from one of Jamaica’s most important historical artists and is the first exhibition of his work outside of Jamaica May 26, 2017 – Jan. 14, 20 18 John Dunkley, Back to Nature, 1939. Collection National Gallery of Jamaica. MIAMI —May 15, 2017—Pérez Art Museum Miami presents John Dunkley: Neither Day nor Night, on view May 26, 2017 – January 14, 2018. The exhibition, on view in the museum’s Rose Ellen Meyerhoff Greene and Gerald Greene Gallery, presents the work of John Dunkley (b. 1891, Savanna-la-Mar, Jamaica; d. 1947, Kingston), widely considered to be one of Jamaica’s most important historical artists. Neither Day nor Night will include paintings from the 1930s and ‘40s alongside a smaller selection of carved-wood and stone sculptures. Dunkley’s paintings are defined by their distinctive dark palette, detailed imagery—often landscapes––and psychologically suggestive underpinnings. His intimate sculptures reflect more figurative elements—people and animals—and offer insights into his unique iconography. His oeuvre spans little more than a decade, and only approximately 50 paintings are known to exist today, alongside a small number of sculptures. Although his work is well represented in the collection of the National Gallery of Jamaica, Kingston, as well as in international private collections, Dunkley has not been the focus of a solo exhibition since the 1970s, and never before outside Jamaica. This exhibition is a unique opportunity to bring together a substantial grouping of his work and to create an international context for its study.
    [Show full text]