Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Deliverance: The Art of Ben Jones 1970-2008


Main Galleries September 18, 2008 – February 21, 2009

This major retrospective of the work of Ben Jones features a complete survey of the artist's work, dating from the mid 1970s through his most recent paintings. "Deliverance" explores various aspects of the artist's body of work, and delves further into its close relationship to religions of the African diaspora. Many of the artist's key works are in the exhibition, including the iconic Black Face and Arm Unit, from 1971 (State Museum, Trenton). Organized by independent curator Ed Spriggs, whose relationship with Mr. Jones dates back to the early 1970s, when he was director at the Studio Museum in Harlem and Ben Jones was exhibiting his work there, this survey is an unprecedented examination of this important American artist's work.

With essays by Edward Spriggs, Kellie Jones, Ph.D., Associate Professor of African American, African Diaspora, and Latin American art at Columbia University; and a dialogue with the artist by Alejandro Anreus, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Art History and Latin American Studies at William Paterson University, this publication promises to be a substantial and scholarly catalogue that will serve as a document of, and create access to, Ben Jones's significant body of work. "Deliverance" is made possible by a lead grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional funding provided by The Joan Mitchell Foundation, Inc., the Lucius and Eva Eastman Fund, The Puffin Foundation, Ltd., and other generous individual donors. This program was selected by the New Jersey Council on the Arts as part of the American Masterpieces Series in New Jersey. American Masterpieces is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Credit:
Ben Jones
Black Face & Arm Unit, 1971
Acrylic on life-size plaster casts, 30 pieces, life size (arms/masks)
Collection of the New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, New Jersey

SOURCE: Jersey City Museum

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