Untitled: The Art of James Castle
Nicholas R. Bell and Leslie Umberger, with an introduction by Alexander Nemerov
Untitled: The Art of James Castle celebrates one of the most enigmatic American artists of the twentieth century. For nearly seven decades, Castle gathered materials around his rural Idaho home, such as packaging, advertisements, string, and soot, and created an elaborate and umistakable representation of his world.
Exhibition curator Nicholas R. Bell explores James Castle’s landscapes and interiors in an effort to grasp the artist”s experience of such fundamental elements as space, time, and memory. Leslie Umberger charts Castle’s reception in the art world as gallerists, curators, and collectors have struggled to balance an appreciation of his work with the complex circumstances of his life.
“Discovering James Castle’s art is like coming upon a cave full of wondrous and long-concealed pictures.”
— Alexander Nemerov
$24.97hardcover
Buy Online
or write to PubOrd@si.edu
Product Details
- Co-Publisher
- Copublished with D Giles Ltd.
- Year Published
- 2014
- Subjects
- Pages
- 128 pp.: Ill.
- ISBN
- Hardcover: 978-1-907804-62-5
- Dimensions
- 8 1⁄4 x 10 1⁄4 in.
Exhibitions
September 25, 2014–February 1, 2015
In 2013 the Smithsonian American Art Museum acquired 54 pieces by James Castle (1899-1977). With this acquisition, the museum now holds one of the largest public collections of Castle’s work.