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Jay DeFeo, Untitled, 1979

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February 10, 2023

KQED: How the Xerox Machine Launched A Bay Area Art Movement

KQED's program: How the Xerox Machine Launched A Bay Area Art Movement

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Jay DeFeo, The Rose, then referred to as Deathrose, "baroque" phase, with blurred figure and stool, c. 1962-63

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June 12, 2022

Elizabeth Ferrell at Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive

Book Cover for Elizabeth Ferrell, About The Rose: Creation and Community in Jay DeFeo’s Circle,…

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Presenters at Around The Rose: Artists Reflect on Jay DeFeo from the Whitney

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March 25, 2022

Video of Around The Rose: Artists Reflect on Jay DeFeo – Hosted by The Whitney

Whitney Museum of American Art - Public Program, Around The Rose: Artists Reflect on Jay…

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East Bay Express, Dec. 8, 2021

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December 13, 2021

East Bay Express – ‘Rip Tails’: Jordan Stein’s latest book delves into the impacts of Jay DeFeo’s art

The New York Times, October 7, 2021, “Jay DeFeo and Bruce Conner Were BFF’s (Bohemian…

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Jay DeFeo, Untitled, 1973

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December 1, 2021

Jordan Stein’s Book release at SFAI

Jordan Stein's Rip Tales: Jay DeFeo's Estocada & Other Pieces Book release, screening, and signing

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Jay DeFeo, Untitled, 1973

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October 7, 2021

New York Times – Jay DeFeo and Bruce Conner Were BFF’s (Bohemian Friends Forever)

The New York Times, October 7, 2021, “Jay DeFeo and Bruce Conner Were BFF’s (Bohemian…

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Jay DeFeo, Untitled, c. 1976

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September 30, 2021

The Brooklyn Rail’s conversation about Bruce Conner & Jay DeFeo

Register for The Brooklyn Rail's conversation "Bruce Conner & Jay DeFeo ('we are not what…

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Jay DeFeo, Untitled (Reflections of Africa series), 1989

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September 1, 2021

BRUCE CONNER & JAY DEFEO (“we are not what we seem”) at Paula Cooper Gallery

BRUCE CONNER & JAY DEFEO (“we are not what we seem”) at Paula Cooper Gallery,…

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Installation view of Modern Art, June 13, 2021–Ongoing at Los Angeles County Museum of Art. From left to right: Franz Kline, The Ballantine, 1958-1960; Mark Rothko, White Center, 1957; Jay DeFeo, The Jewel, 1959; Lee Krasner, Desert Moon, 1955.

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June 25, 2021

The Jewel in Modern Art exhibition at LACMA

Los Angeles County Museum of Art's exhibition Modern Art opened on June 13, 2021 and…

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INSTAGRAM

Happy Birthday to Jay DeFeo who would have been 94

Happy Birthday to Jay DeFeo who would have been 94 years old today.

The photographer Mimi Jacobs took this portrait of Jay DeFeo in the 1970s, the same decade DeFeo made this stunning collage composed of a cut-out photograph of a rose, torn paper, and paint on a photogram of her own hand. This collage is now in the collection of @sfmoma.

1/2: Mimi Jacobs, Portrait of Jay DeFeo, 1975. © Estate of Mimi Jacobs. 2/2: Jay DeFeo, Untitled, 1973, Collage with cut gelatin silver print, torn paper and paint on gelatin silver print photogram, 10 x 8 x 1/4 inches (25.4 x 20.3 x .6 cm). San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Photography: Don Ross. © 2023 The Jay DeFeo Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York]

#jaydefeo #jaydefeofoundation #sfmoma #mimijacobs #rose

Happy National Puppy Day!⁠ ⁠ ⁠ [Jay DeFeo, C

Happy National Puppy Day!⁠
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[Jay DeFeo, Contact sheet detail, Jay DeFeo's dog, R. Mutt, and puppy, 1971, Gelatin silver print, 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 inches (5.7 x 5.7 cm). © 2023 The Jay DeFeo Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York] ⁠
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#nationalpuppyday #puppy #jaydefeofoundation

Jay DeFeo began experimenting with the photocopy m

Jay DeFeo began experimenting with the photocopy machine in the 1970s, at times creating series of photocopies of the same objects in different compositions. This photocopy composed of compasses, bones and a cut out picture of a Greek statue (the Maenad of Skopas) is one of a series.

“Have done some drawings of a crazy array of material -- Erasers, compasses ballet dancers -- Xerox collages of compasses & greek sculpture -- old photos of my own -- all of which has little resemblance to that from whence it came.”

- Jay DeFeo, journal entry, July 17, 1979. Archive of The Jay DeFeo Foundation, Berkeley, CA.

Check out "Positively Charged: Copier Art in the Bay Area Since the 1960s" currently on view at @sanfranciscocenterforthebook and @sfpubliclibrary’s Skylight Gallery. Follow the link in bio for details about the exhibition.

[1/2: Jay DeFeo, Untitled, 1979, Photocopy, 14 x 8 1/2 inches (35.6 x 21.6 cm). Photograph: @bblackwellphoto ; 2/2: Jay DeFeo, View of Larkspur, California studio with photocopies, 1980, Lab processed gelatin silver print, image: 3 1/8 x 3 1/8 inches (7.9 x 7.9 cm), sheet: 3 7/16 x 3 1/2 inches (8.7 x 8.9 cm). © 2023 The Jay DeFeo Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York]

#jaydefeo #jaydefeofoundation #sanfranciscocenterforthebook #sanfranciscopubliclibrary

The painting "Lotus Eater No. 1" can be seen in pr

The painting "Lotus Eater No. 1" can be seen in progress in this photograph of Jay DeFeo’s studio from 1973. On the wall to the left, some of the references DeFeo is looking at while painting can be seen, including a photograph of one of her favorite sources: the candlestick telephone with a light bulb replacing the receiver.

[1/3: Jay DeFeo, Contact detail, "Lotus Eater No. 1" in progress, Larkspur studio, 1973, Gelatin silver print, 2 1⁄4 x 2 1⁄4 inches; 2/3: Jay DeFeo, Untitled, c. 1973, Cut gelatin silver print, 5 1/4 x 3 inches (13.3 x 7.6 cm); 3/3: Jay DeFeo, "Lotus Eater No. 1," 1974, Acrylic, mixed media, graphite and collage on Masonite, 72 1/2 x 48 1/2 inches (184.2 x 123.2 cm). Photograph: @bblackwellphoto © 2023 The Jay DeFeo Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York]

While studying an art history book in the early 19

While studying an art history book in the early 1970s, DeFeo found an architectural detail showing a Makara – hybrid creature in Hindu mythology with crocodile features. She used the image as a jumping off point, creating the large painting "Makara."

“This is a layering of mixed media and acrylic and gloss medium in between to give it kind of a pearlescent quality. This was from some reference in Indian art history. It's just a form that interested me. It’s totally different from the reproduction actually. The reproduction is just what triggered it off. The spiral form there, [...] it has been a form that has been interesting to me at various times, and it reoccurs here.”

- Jay DeFeo, slide lecture at Mills College, Oakland, CA, December 2, 1986. Video recording, Archive of The Jay DeFeo Foundation, Berkeley, CA.

Don't miss "Makara" on view at @anthony_meier_ in "In the Shadow of Mt. Tam" through March 17, 2023. Follow the link in our bio to more about the exhibition.

[1/2: Jay DeFeo, View of Larkspur, California studio, 1973, Gelatin silver print, 7 15/16 x 7 3/8 inches (20.2 x 18.7 cm); 2/2: Jay DeFeo, "Makara," 1972-73, Acrylic and mixed media on Masonite, 48 x 36 inches (121.9 x 91.4 cm). Photograph: @bblackwellphoto © 2023 The Jay DeFeo Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York]

#jaydefeo #jaydefeofoundation #anthonymeier #anthonymeierfinearts #makara

Jay DeFeo’s process when working on some drawing

Jay DeFeo’s process when working on some drawings in the “Tripod” series was to build up an image using her chosen media, in this case graphite, acrylic and grease pencil, and then, using an eraser or solvent, to removed media, revealing parts of the original surface of the paper. She also cut and tore off the paper as the artwork developed She would then build up aspects of the image in a new way. This back and forth process ultimately led DeFeo to completely remove the center of Untitled (“Tripod” series) and she was happy with the result, finding meaning in its removed center.

“[W]orks on paper are more fragile and more tenuous than canvas many times. You just have to take your chances when it seems right to really tear into something and let a chance happening occur.“

-Jay DeFeo, slide lecture at Mills College, Oakland, CA, December 4, 1986. Video recording, Archive of The Jay DeFeo Foundation, Berkeley, CA.

See this work in person through March 25, 2023 at @marcselwynfineart. Follow the link in our bio for additional information.

[1/2: Jay DeFeo, Untitled ("Tripod" series), 1975, Acrylic, graphite and grease pencil with collage and tape on torn paper over vellum and black paper 23 1/4 x 19 5/8 inches (59.1 x 49.8 cm). Photograph: @bblackwellphoto 2/2: Jay DeFeo, Photograph of “The Rose” propped behind the open space in Untitled (“Tripod” series), Larkspur, California studio, 1976, Posthumous digital study reproduction from original negative. © 2023 The Jay DeFeo Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York]

#jaydefeo #jaydefeofoundation #marcselwynfineart

Marc Selwyn Fine Art hosted writer and curator Hel

Marc Selwyn Fine Art hosted writer and curator Helen Molesworth and Claremont College professor and writer David Pagel to discuss "Jay DeFeo: Into Other Worlds" on February 5, 2023.⁠
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If you were unable to attend, the recording is now available to stream via the link in our bio.⁠
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[Jay DeFeo, "Where the Swan Flies (Loop System No. 1)," 1974, Acrylic on Masonite, 72 1/8 x 48 3/16 inches (183.2 x 122.4 cm). © 2023 The Jay DeFeo Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York]⁠
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#jaydefeo #jaydefeofoundation #marcselwynfineart @marcselwynfineart #davidpagel #helenmolesworth @hmolesworth

If you are visiting Frieze Los Angeles this weeken

If you are visiting Frieze Los Angeles this weekend, stop by the @marcselwynfineart booth, D9, to view this work by Jay DeFeo. ⁠
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For more information on the fair and tickets please follow the link in bio.⁠
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[Jay DeFeo, Untitled, c. 1983, Graphite and pastel on paper, 9 x 12 inches (22.9 x 30.5 cm). © 2023 The Jay DeFeo Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York]⁠
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#friezela @friezeofficial #marcselwynfineart #jaydefeo #jaydefeofoundation

Happy Birthday to Wallace Berman!⁠ ⁠ "I think

Happy Birthday to Wallace Berman!⁠
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"I think it's really important to underline the fact that he is the first one to really extend himself beyond the limits of what traditional painting or drawing was thought to be and get into this kind of communications trip with the sending of the postcards through the mail. He was sort of the central figure that unified the poets and the painters and the musicians because he sort of came from all those places himself."⁠
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- Jay DeFeo, interview with Rebecca Solnit, March 12, 1984. Audio recording, Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. © 2023 Rebecca Solnit.⁠
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[Holiday postcard sent from Wallace and Shirley Berman to Jay DeFeo, December 21, 1970. Gelatin silver print mounted on paperboard. Jay DeFeo Papers c. 1940-1979, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC.]⁠
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#wallaceberman #shirleyberman #rebeccasolnit #jaydefeo #jaydefeofoundation

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For personal and/or educational use only. Text and images of any works of visual art or any other images contained on this website may not be reproduced, downloaded or modified in any form without the express written permission of The Jay DeFeo Foundation. Nothing contained in this website shall be construed as conferring any license or right to any copyright on this website. All artwork, images, writings, and statements by Jay DeFeo © The Jay DeFeo Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.