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Wadsworth Jarrell, Come Saturday Punch: Kavi Gupta | 219 N. Elizabeth St. Chicago, IL, 60607

Past exhibition
13 July - 3 August 2019
  • Overview
  • Works
  • Installation Views
  • Press
Overview
Wadsworth Jarrell Black Family, 1968 Acrylic on canvas 46 x 36 x 2 in 116.8 x 91.4 x 5.1 cm
Wadsworth Jarrell
Black Family, 1968
Acrylic on canvas
46 x 36 x 2 in
116.8 x 91.4 x 5.1 cm

Kavi Gupta is proud to present Come Saturday Punch, a career survey of the art of Wadsworth Jarrell (b. 1929, USA).

 

Jarrell’s work is a pivotal element of two major international exhibitions this summer: Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power, currently on view at The Broad in Los Angeles, and AFRICOBRA: Nation Time, an official collateral exhibition of the 2019 Venice Biennale.

 

In 1968, Jarrell came to prominence as one of the five co-founders of AFRICOBRA (African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists), a Black artist collective formed on the South Side of Chicago, which helped define the visual language of the Black Arts Movement of the 60s and 70s.

 

Yet, for decades prior, Jarrell had already been experimenting with his aesthetic voice, transitioning gradually from the illustrative figuration of paintings like Come Saturday (1959), to the Orphic Cubist-inspired, abstract dynamism of Cockfight (1965). Jarrell was a mature painter when he contributed to the development of the AFRICOBRA aesthetic. The group’s embrace of “cool-ade” colors, text, and positive images of the Black community may be seen as an enlargement of Jarrell’s voice, but as we can see in paintings like Sign of the Times (1966) and Shore Market (1968), to a large degree these ideas were already emerging out of his own experiments.

 

Essential to Jarrell’s practice is the belief that the creation of an art object is inherently personal. Though informed by history and governed by material realities, his process always begins and ends with his own experiences. Many of the seminal works he painted at the height of the AFRICOBRA years—like Black Family (1968) and Boss Couple (1970)—directly reference Jarrell’s personal life. Even seemingly less personal works, such as I Am Better Than Those Motherfuckers and They Know It (1969) and Homage to a Giant (1970), examine the broader culture through Jarrell’s distinctly individuated point of view.

 

Music has also always been fundamental to Jarrell’s personal vision. Not only are musicians and their work frequently the subject matter of his paintings, but Jarrell additionally succeeds in expressing the abstract connections between music and visual art. On the occasion of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s acquisition of Jarrell’s 1973 painting Untitled (African Rhythm, Our Heritage), Heather Lemonedes, the museum’s Chief Curator, said of the painting, it “literally sings and trumpets.”

 

Come Saturday Punch traces all aspects of Jarrell’s artistic evolution to the present day. Works like John Coltrane (1992) and I Remember Bill (1995) reveal how he was influenced as much by his experiences with indigenous African art at FESTAC ‘77 as by the academic ethos he encountered afterwards while teaching at universities in Washington, DC, and Georgia. Also evident is the profound influence of folk art & craft on Jarrell’s methods—echoes of owning and operating resale boutiques with his wife, fashion designer and fellow AFRICOBRA member Jae Jarrell. As these various perspectives merge, Jarrell’s paintings become more layered, more sculptural, and begin incorporating found object assemblage—strategies that are on full view in works like Cuttin’ Edge Musicians (2012), Flowers for Lady (2012), and the work that closes the exhibition, Come Sunday (2014).

 

Fluctuating between image and object, abstraction and figuration, Jarrell’s works communicate right now, with a gentle and timeless spirit. Wadsworth Jarrell: Come Saturday Punch intimately connects to this fascinating artist’s story—and to the moments of wonder and reflection that informed his evolution into the artist he has become. Even viewers familiar with Jarrell will find much new here in which to delight.

 

Jarrell’s work has been exhibited in some of the most beloved institutions in the world, including the Tate Modern, the Brooklyn Museum, Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, the Studio Museum in Harlem, and many others. It is included in many important collections, including those of the Cleveland Museum of Art, the High Museum of Art, the National Museum of Africa American History and Culture, and the Studio Museum in Harlem.

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Works
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Black Family, 1968 Acrylic on canvas 46 x 36 x 2 in 116.8 x 91.4 x 5.1 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Black Family, 1968
    Acrylic on canvas
    46 x 36 x 2 in
    116.8 x 91.4 x 5.1 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Mile and a Quarter Oil on canvas 70 x 124 x 2 in 177.8 x 315 x 5.1 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Mile and a Quarter
    Oil on canvas
    70 x 124 x 2 in
    177.8 x 315 x 5.1 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Revolutionary, 1972 Screenprint printed in color on white wove paper 33 x 26 in 83 x 66 cm Edition of 300 + 18 APs + 17 Color Trial Proofs
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Revolutionary, 1972
    Screenprint printed in color on white wove paper
    33 x 26 in
    83 x 66 cm
    Edition of 300 + 18 APs + 17 Color Trial Proofs
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Blue Hill Road, 1968 Oil on canvas 32 x 26 in 81.3 x 66 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Blue Hill Road, 1968
    Oil on canvas
    32 x 26 in
    81.3 x 66 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Shore Market, 1968 Oil on canvas 32 x 44 x 3 in 81.3 x 111.8 x 7.6 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Shore Market, 1968
    Oil on canvas
    32 x 44 x 3 in
    81.3 x 111.8 x 7.6 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Portrait of Jae, 1966 Oil on canvas 29 x 20 x 3/4 in 73.7 x 50.8 x 1.8 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Portrait of Jae, 1966
    Oil on canvas
    29 x 20 x 3/4 in
    73.7 x 50.8 x 1.8 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Study for Wall of Respect, 1967 Gouache 44 x 30 in 111.8 x 76.2 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Study for Wall of Respect, 1967
    Gouache
    44 x 30 in
    111.8 x 76.2 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell At the Races, 1992 Acrylic on paper 26 x 38 in 66 x 96.5 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    At the Races, 1992
    Acrylic on paper
    26 x 38 in
    66 x 96.5 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Come Sunday, 2014 Acrylic on canvas, wood, and glass Approx. 78 x 60 x 6 in 198.1 x 152.4 x 15.2 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Come Sunday, 2014
    Acrylic on canvas, wood, and glass
    Approx. 78 x 60 x 6 in
    198.1 x 152.4 x 15.2 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Flowers for Lady, 2012 Mixed media 22 x 63 in 55.9 x 160 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Flowers for Lady, 2012
    Mixed media
    22 x 63 in
    55.9 x 160 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Extolling a Djwoke Headdress, 1993 Acrylic, wood, and canvas 87 x 37 x 17 in 221 x 94 x 43.2 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Extolling a Djwoke Headdress, 1993
    Acrylic, wood, and canvas
    87 x 37 x 17 in
    221 x 94 x 43.2 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Day of the Kings, 1995 Acrylic, wood, and canvas 71 x 10 x 10 in each, 16 total 180.3 x 25.4 x 25.4 cm each
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Day of the Kings, 1995
    Acrylic, wood, and canvas
    71 x 10 x 10 in each, 16 total
    180.3 x 25.4 x 25.4 cm each
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Eye of Eternity, 2000 Acrylic, canvas, and wood 48 x 38 x 3 in 121.9 x 96.5 x 7.6 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Eye of Eternity, 2000
    Acrylic, canvas, and wood
    48 x 38 x 3 in
    121.9 x 96.5 x 7.6 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Transition, 2001 Acrylic, canvas, and wood 48 x 48 x 3 in 121.9 x 121.9 x 7.6 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Transition, 2001
    Acrylic, canvas, and wood
    48 x 48 x 3 in
    121.9 x 121.9 x 7.6 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell I Remember Bill, 1995 Acrylic, canvas, and wood 69 x 72 x 4 in 175.3 x 182.9 x 10.2 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    I Remember Bill, 1995
    Acrylic, canvas, and wood
    69 x 72 x 4 in
    175.3 x 182.9 x 10.2 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Flowers for Lady, 2012 Mixed media 22 x 63 in 55.9 x 160 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Flowers for Lady, 2012
    Mixed media
    22 x 63 in
    55.9 x 160 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Exhalt: For Mama, 1996 Acrylic on canvas 61 x 48 in 154.9 x 121.9 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Exhalt: For Mama, 1996
    Acrylic on canvas
    61 x 48 in
    154.9 x 121.9 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Steel Square, 1995 Acrylic on canvas, wood 60 x 40 in 152.4 x 101.6 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Steel Square, 1995
    Acrylic on canvas, wood
    60 x 40 in
    152.4 x 101.6 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Cuttin’ Edge Musicians, 2012 Acrylic, canvas, and wood 52 x 74 in 132.1 x 188 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Cuttin’ Edge Musicians, 2012
    Acrylic, canvas, and wood
    52 x 74 in
    132.1 x 188 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell John Coltrane, 1992 Acrylic on paper 38 x 26 in 96.5 x 66 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    John Coltrane, 1992
    Acrylic on paper
    38 x 26 in
    96.5 x 66 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Navaga, 1974 Acrylic on canvas 50 x 24 in 127 x 61 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Navaga, 1974
    Acrylic on canvas
    50 x 24 in
    127 x 61 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Sketch for Mackin' the Game, 1959 Water color and ink on paper 35 x 28 in 88.9 x 71.1 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Sketch for Mackin' the Game, 1959
    Water color and ink on paper
    35 x 28 in
    88.9 x 71.1 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Come Saturday, 1959 Watercolor and ink on paper 43 x 32 in 109.2 x 81.3 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Come Saturday, 1959
    Watercolor and ink on paper
    43 x 32 in
    109.2 x 81.3 cm
  • Wadsworth Jarrell Sundown Ladies, 1959 Water color and ink on paper 35 x 27 x 1 in 88.9 x 68.6 x 2.5 cm
    Wadsworth Jarrell
    Sundown Ladies, 1959
    Water color and ink on paper
    35 x 27 x 1 in
    88.9 x 68.6 x 2.5 cm
Installation Views
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Press
  • Installation view of “Wadsworth Jarrell: Come Saturday Punch,” Kavi Gupta Gallery in Chicago, July 13-Aug. 3, 2019. Shown at left, “Eternity,” 2000 (acrylic, canvas, and wood, 48 x 38 x 3 inches / 121.9 x 96.5 x 7.6 cm). | Photo by John Lusis, Courtesy the Artist and Kavi Gupta

    ON VIEW: ‘WADSWORTH JARRELL: COME SATURDAY PUNCH’ AT KAVI GUPTA IN CHICAGO

    Victoria L. Valentine, Culture Type, August 3, 2019
  • “Wadsworth Jarrell: Come Saturday Punch,” 2019, Kavi Gupta | Elizabeth Street, Chicago. Courtesy of the artist and Kavi Gupta/Photo: John Lusis

    POTENT PIGMENTS: A REVIEW OF WADSWORTH JARRELL AT KAVI GUPTA

    Caira Moreira-Brown, NEWCITY Art, July 30, 2019

Related artist

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    Wadsworth Jarrell

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835 W. Washington Blvd. Chicago, IL 60607

Hours | Tue–Fri: 11 am–6 pm, Sat: 12 pm–5 pm

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219 N. Elizabeth St. Chicago, IL 60607 
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