Jess, 1923-2004

Variant names

Hide Profile

Jess, American visual artist, was born Burgess Collins on August 6, 1923 in Long Beach, California. Jess was educated as a chemist at the California Institute of Technology. Disillusioned with his scientific career, in 1949 he enrolled in the California School of the Arts (now the San Francisco Art Institute) and began referring to himself as "Jess". He met Robert Duncan in 1951 and maintained a relationship with the poet that lasted until Duncan's death in 1988.

George Herms, one of the founders of the California Assemblage Art movement, was a regular correspondent of Jess's.

From the description of Jess papers, 1941-2004 (bulk 1962-1997). (University of California, Berkeley). WorldCat record id: 77058198

Biographical Information

Jess, American visual artist, was born Burgess Collins on August 6, 1923 in Long Beach, California. Jess was educated as a chemist at the California Institute of Technology. Disillusioned with his scientific career, in 1949 he enrolled in the California School of the Arts (now the San Francisco Art Institute) and began referring to himself as "Jess". He met Robert Duncan in 1951 and maintained a relationship with the poet that lasted until Duncan's death in 1988.

By the early 1960s, Jess had won critical esteem for his collage art, which he referred to as "paste-ups". For more than 30 years, Jess was represented by New York's Odyssia Gallery; he also worked closely with Gallery Paule Anglim in San Francisco. Jess's art appears in major museums around the country including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the National Gallery of Art. Jess died on January 2, 2004 in San Francisco.

From the guide to the Jess papers, 1941-2004, 1962-1997, (The Bancroft Library.)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Jess, 1923-2004. Artist file. Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives
creatorOf Patricia Jordan papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Borregaard, Ebbe. Papers, 1961-1965. Indiana University
referencedIn Jess, 1923- : [miscellaneous ephemeral material]. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Thomas J. Watson Library
creatorOf Wallace Berman papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn Literary Correspondence and Manuscripts Collection, undated, 1835-1990 Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Center.
referencedIn Rolf Nelson Gallery records, 1953-1973 Getty Research Institute
referencedIn Brakhage, Stan. Stan Brakhage papers, 1953-1966. University of Connecticut, Homer Babbidge Library
referencedIn Solnit, Rebecca. Interviews for the book Secret exhibition [sound recording]. UC Berkeley Libraries
creatorOf Schaff, David. Poetry and correspondence relating to the publication of Cassiopeia and Ephemeris, 1964-1974. UC Berkeley Libraries
referencedIn Robert A. Wilson collection, 1906-2011 University of Delaware Library - Special Collections
creatorOf Jess, 1923-2004. Jess papers, 1941-2004 (bulk 1962-1997). UC Berkeley Libraries
referencedIn Duncan, Robert, 1919-1988. Robert Edward Duncan papers, circa 1944-1966. UC Berkeley Libraries
creatorOf Duncan, Robert, 1919-1988. Robert Duncan papers, ca. 1955-1972. University of California, Santa Cruz, UCSC
referencedIn Stan Brakhage Papers., undated, 1953-1966. Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Center.
creatorOf Jess, 1923-. "Jess" : artist file : study photographs and reproductions of works of art with accompanying documentation 1930?-1990 [graphic] [compiled by staff of The Museum of Modern Art, New York]. Frick Art Reference Library of The Frick Collection
referencedIn Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.). Projects, translations by Jess. Oct. 28-Dec. 4, 1974: Archives pamphlet file : miscellaneous uncataloged material. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Thomas J. Watson Library
referencedIn Herms, George, 1935-. George Herms papers, 1890-2009 ( bulk 1960-2000) Getty Research Institute
creatorOf Jess papers, 1941-2004, 1962-1997 Bancroft Library
referencedIn Felver, Christopher, 1946-. Christopher Felver portraits of poets, authors, and artists [graphic] / photographed by Christopher Felver. UC Berkeley Libraries
referencedIn Wallace Berman papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn Rolf Nelson Gallery. Rolf Nelson Gallery records, 1953-1973. Getty Research Institute
referencedIn Felver, Christopher, 1946-. Chris Felver photographs of 20th century American poets, 1981-2003. Stanford University. Department of Special Collections and University Archives
referencedIn Poetry mss., 1954-2002 Lilly Library (Indiana University, Bloomington)
referencedIn George Herms papers, 1890-2009 Getty Research Institute
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Oral history interview with Larry Jordan Archives of American Art
Relation Name
associatedWith Berman, Wallace, 1926-1976. person
associatedWith Borregaard, Ebbe. person
correspondedWith Brakhage, Stan. person
correspondedWith Brakhage, Stan. person
associatedWith Duncan, Robert, 1919-1988. person
associatedWith Felver, Christopher, 1946- person
associatedWith Herms, George, 1935- person
associatedWith Jordan, Larry, 1934- person
associatedWith Jordan, Patricia M., 1937-1989. person
associatedWith Modern Poetry Association corporateBody
associatedWith Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.) corporateBody
associatedWith Online Archive of California. corporateBody
associatedWith Rolf Nelson Gallery corporateBody
associatedWith Rolf Nelson Gallery. corporateBody
associatedWith Schaff, David. person
associatedWith Solnit, Rebecca. person
associatedWith University of Connecticut. University of Connecticut Libraries. corporateBody
associatedWith Wallace Berman person
associatedWith Wilson, Robert A. (Robert Alfred), 1922- person
Place Name Admin Code Country
California
California--San Francisco Bay Area
Subject
Art, American
Art
Artists
Arts
Assemblage (Art)
Beat generation
Collage
Occupation
Activity

Person

Birth 1923-08-06

Death 2004-01-02

Americans

Information

Permalink: http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6154xh8

Ark ID: w6154xh8

SNAC ID: 8176365