The San Francisco artist Jess (1923–2004) has for decades been known to cognoscenti as an inventive and sophisticated master of the collage aesthetic. Recently however, his works are receiving fresh attention from a younger generation attuned to Jess’ interests in myth, narrative and appropriation. Jess used images taken from sources ranging from Dick Tracy to Dürer, from a Beatles bubblegum card to medical textbook drawings, from 1887 Scientific American line engravings to frames from George Herriman’s Krazy Kat. In reexamining myth through a synthesis of art and literature, Jess’ work remains a crucial assemblage of the meanings of our time. This volume brings to light collages, collage books, word poems and altered comics that have been largely inaccessible or unavailable since their making. Originally published in small editions and hard-to-find journals, or made as one-off artist’s books, these works demonstrate the full range of Jess’s extraordinary verbal and visual play. Several of Jess’s surreal comic-strip manipulations, Tricky Cad (1954–1959), are reproduced for the first time in their entirety, as are others such as Ben Big Bolt and Nance that have never before been published. The book also includes a group of complex wraparound book covers, several unpublished collage poems, and two artist’s books never before reproduced in full: From Force of Habit, a “fantastic tale” which plays with the pages of a Swedish cult sci-fi novel, and When a Young Lad Dreams of Manhood, a homoerotic paean (and naughty parody) of the priapic urge. A facsimile reproduction of the 20-page collage masterpiece O! is included as a separate booklet, and the book sports a dustjacket that folds out into a poster-size collage.
Featured image, "O!" (1960), is reproduced from Jess: O! Tricky Cad and Other Jessoterica.
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Featured image, a detail from Jess' "The Tenth Muse," No. 26 (1969), is reproduced from Siglio's wonderful O! Tricky Cad and Other Jessoterica, one of our top Holiday Gift Books this year, also selected by Holland Cotter for The New York Times: "And for a gift in which reading and looking are in perfect sync? Head straight for Jess: O! Tricky Cad and Other Jessoterica, a book of art jampacked with words and images by … American master collagist, Jess Collins (1923-2004), or, as he preferred to be called, just Jess. He started his long and productive life as chemist, working during World War II on the production of plutonium for the Manhattan Project. But soon, aghast at the growth of the postwar military-industrial complex, he dropped out, went to art school, met a kindred-soul partner (the poet Robert Duncan) and never looked back.
Luckily, he left a lot to look at, and Siglio Press in Los Angeles has selected choice material to reproduce, its mix of verbal illogic, Victoriana, vintage sci-fi and homoerotic high jinks a page-turning and lingering joy. For more gift recommendations, visit our Holiday Gift Guide.
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In the August 14 issue of imprint magazine, design god Steven Heller writes, "Ever since I dreamed I received a pristine copy of Une Semaine de Bonte from its maker, Max Ernst, I have had a real soft spot in my life for collages of found printed matter. I particularly like when they are reproduced on uncoated stock to retain the grittiness of the original source material. That's why I was immediately drawn to Jess: O! Tricky Cad and Other Jessoterica(Siglio Press), a collection of collage narratives that are as witty as they are tactile...
[The book], edited by Michael Duncan, includes collages, collage books, word poems, and altered comic strips that have been largely inaccessible or unavailable since their making. Originally published in small editions and obscure journals, these works demonstrate the full range of Jess’s extraordinary verbal and visual play." Featured image, "O!" (1960), is reproduced from Jess: O! Tricky Cad and Other Jessoterica continue to blog
We are delighted to partner with our dear friends at Park Life for the inaugural SF Art Book Fair! Find our books - on or by R. Crumb, Sophie Calle, Rosalyn Drexler, Jess and others - at stand A8, A9, A10 this Saturday and Sunday. Preview is Friday, July 22 from 6-10PM. continue to blog
FORMAT: Pbk, 8.25 x 10 in. / 192 pgs / 92 color / 58 b&w. LIST PRICE: U.S. $47.50 LIST PRICE: CANADA $65 GBP £42.50 ISBN: 9781938221002 PUBLISHER: Siglio AVAILABLE: 10/31/2012 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: WORLD Except France
The San Francisco artist Jess (1923–2004) has for decades been known to cognoscenti as an inventive and sophisticated master of the collage aesthetic. Recently however, his works are receiving fresh attention from a younger generation attuned to Jess’ interests in myth, narrative and appropriation. Jess used images taken from sources ranging from Dick Tracy to Dürer, from a Beatles bubblegum card to medical textbook drawings, from 1887 Scientific American line engravings to frames from George Herriman’s Krazy Kat. In reexamining myth through a synthesis of art and literature, Jess’ work remains a crucial assemblage of the meanings of our time. This volume brings to light collages, collage books, word poems and altered comics that have been largely inaccessible or unavailable since their making. Originally published in small editions and hard-to-find journals, or made as one-off artist’s books, these works demonstrate the full range of Jess’s extraordinary verbal and visual play. Several of Jess’s surreal comic-strip manipulations, Tricky Cad (1954–1959), are reproduced for the first time in their entirety, as are others such as Ben Big Bolt and Nance that have never before been published. The book also includes a group of complex wraparound book covers, several unpublished collage poems, and two artist’s books never before reproduced in full: From Force of Habit, a “fantastic tale” which plays with the pages of a Swedish cult sci-fi novel, and When a Young Lad Dreams of Manhood, a homoerotic paean (and naughty parody) of the priapic urge. A facsimile reproduction of the 20-page collage masterpiece O! is included as a separate booklet, and the book sports a dustjacket that folds out into a poster-size collage.
