Untitled
John Paul Jones
Untitled (probably 1962 – 63)
Gifted by Theodore Barnett
John Paul Jones (1924 – 1999)
Artist and educator John Paul Jones was considered a leading American printmaker during the 1960s. His work has been associated with postwar New Figuration, a period of figurative painting revived in the 1960s by such artists as Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, Philip Gustin, and David Hockney. Jones taught for a decade at UCLA, from 1953 to 1963, where he established the printmaking department, and at UC Irvine for two decades, from 1969 to 1990. Untitled was produced at the Tamarind Lithography Workshop, an important print shop in Los Angeles at the time. Inspired by European artists like Francis Bacon, Alberto Giacometti, and Francisco Goya, shadowy figures emerging from dark backgrounds are a recurring motif in Jones’ work.
Year acquired: 2021