Jim Love
Figure Without Brassiere

Figure Without Brassiere

© The Estate of Jim Love

Figure Without Brassiere
Figure Without Brassiere
ArtistAmerican, 1927–2005
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Figure Without Brassiere
Date1963
PlaceHouston, Texas, United States
MediumSteel, cast iron, and lead
Dimensions14 1/8 × 6 × 6 in. (35.9 × 15.2 × 15.2 cm)
Credit LineGift of The Friends of Jim Love in honor of Isabel B. Wilson
Object number2006.13
Current Location
The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building
Gallery 102
Exposé

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Object Type
Description

Jim Love uncovered the marvelous in everyday, cast-off objects. Figure without Brassiere exemplifies the best of his early work, expressing at once sexual awe and a sophisticated knowledge of Surrealist sculpture and tribal art.


 A native of the Texas Panhandle and schooled in set design, Love made Houston his home in 1953. He found the genre of assemblage to be the perfect outlet for his incisive and subversive spirit, assembling totemic figures from found materials such as polishing brushes, plumbing fixtures, and scrap metal. His sculptures combined witty invention with an industrial grit, freely borrowing from popular culture, theater, and literature.


 Elaborating on the improvisational nature of his work, the artist said, "In my world there is less planning than might be thought. You keep shuffling things and try to stay alert for whatever it is that might pop up because one thing might suggest something else." As seen in Figure without Brassiere, the joys and sorrows of falling in and out of love were among Love's foremost concerns in his work.


 


ProvenanceEstate of Jim Love; given to MFAH, 2006.
Exhibition History"Jim Love: From Now On," Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, April 21–July 2, 2006.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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