JAMES HOWELL — RESOLUTION AND INDEPENDENCE
Book Launch and Panel discussion
Introduction
Laura Bardier, Executive Director, James Howell Foundation
Speakers
Dr. Heinz Liesbrok, Director, Albers Museum - Quadrat
Nick Fox Weber, Director, Anni & Josef Albers Foundation
Alistair Rider, author of JAMES HOWELL - Infinite Array
Organized in occasion of the exhibition James Howell - Resolution and Independence at the Josef Albers - Museum Quadrat, curated by Dr. Heinz Liesbrok, this in-person panel will present the latest publication JAMES HOWELL - Infinite Array, published by CIRCA press (London) and explore the wide-ranging contributions of Josef Albers and James Howell. Alistair Rider, Senior Lecturer in The School of Art History at the University of St Andrews and Nick Fox Weber Director of the Anni & Josef Albers Foundation will present research on Albers and Howell and will discuss the work on a broader context. Their talks will be followed by a roundtable conversation moderated by the exhibition's curator and Director of the Albers Museum - Quadrat, Dr. Heinz Liesbrok. This event is free, open to the public and in English.
About the exhibition JAMES HOWELL - RESOLUTION AND INDEPENDENCE
The title of the exhibition, Resolution and Independence, owes itself a poem by William Wordsworth; and it introduces us into the sensual richness and the simultaneous stillness of James Howell's artistic practice. Resolution and Independence is a deeply moving poem of Wordsworth that teaches the value of faith, resolution, and independence through the life. As Wordsworth, Howell reflects upon the balance of life between happiness and sorrow, of light and darkness. `The joy and positivity of nature is the prominent theme of Wordsworth’s poetry, so does in Howell’s work too. For the American artist, James Howell, who lived from 1935 to 2014, art meant a focused of expression and concentration of means. In a complex and precisely calculated painterly process he achieved a simplicity and calm movement that knows no abrupt changes in tempo. He addresses especially the light in its changing appearances and addresses the infinity of space and subtle dissolution of all contours. We are reminded of a view from the coast over the vastness of the sea on the Pacific Ocean in Washington State, where the artist lived and worked for many years. Ad Reinhardt and Josef Albers, both of whom explored the boundaries of form and color to arrive at a fulfilled expression of the picture. Ours is linked to this exhibition when they see Howell's paintings in the context of the Bottrop Collection presented by Albers.
About the publication JAMES HOWELL - Infinite Array
In this comprehensive first monograph, published by CIRCA Press (London), Alistair Rider traces Howell’s artistic evolution, from the beginnings of his career in the early 1970s, through to his greatest achievement – the group of abstractions called Series 10, which occupied the last two decades of his life. Rider also chronicles Howell’s biography, including his early studies and accomplishments in architecture, and offers several interpretative frameworks for his oeuvre, notably a connection to East Asian philosophies. A limited number of books will be available for purchase at the event.
About James Howell
James Howell (1935 - 2014) was born in Kansas City, Missouri and studied English Literature and Architecture at Stanford University, where he received the Stanford Humanities Prize for the Arts in 1961. Howell frequently visited the Southampton home of American painter and art critic Fairfield Porter, and the two debated the merits of figuration and abstraction. By 1968, Howell was primarily making abstract paintings, and had begun exhibiting regularly. His many years living in San Juan Island, Washington, known for its nuanced, infinitely shifting tones of gray sky, water and light, undoubtedly influenced his artistic production. In 1992, Howell moved permanently to New York. Over a five-decade career, James Howell developed systems working with color, lines and numbers, both as concepts and materials, in media ranging from etchings, drawings, paintings to site specific installations. His work has been exhibited at galleries and museums across the United States, Europe and Australia. Howell’s work has been included in many publications, among them the concise volume published in 2021 by Circa Press (London) “James Howell - Infinite Array”, author Alistair Rider.
About The James Howell Foundation
The James Howell Foundation upholds Howell’s vision, supporting programs and professionals undertaking committed explorations of the processes and elements that constitute the world’s systems. The James Howell Foundation creates and furthers philanthropic initiatives that empower art professionals, curators and artists, as a contribution to cultural advancement and humanistic endeavors.
JAMES HOWELL
RESOLUTION AND INDEPENDENCE
April 10 - July 10, 2022
Josef Albers - Museum Quadrat
Anni-Albers-Platz 1
46236 Bottrop, Germany
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m
Sundays: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m
https://quadrat.bottrop.de