Dear John — Adams and Ollman

Dear John
March 19 – April 17, 2021

James Castle with Evgeny Antufiev, Katherine Bradford, Andrew Cranston, Vaginal Davis, Lois Dodd, Ficus Interfaith, Nick Goss, Jessica Jackson Hutchins, Chris Johanson, David Korty, Isaac Tin Wei Lin, Sarah McEneaney, Ryan McLaughlin, Jeffry Mitchell, Dina No, Hilary Pecis, Conny Purtill, Emily Mae Smith, Becky Suss, Ricky Swallow and Willa Wasserman

See it All by William Pym for Dear John

In collaboration with Fleisher/Ollman Gallery (Philadelphia), and conceived as a special tribute to the maverick art dealer John Ollman, Adams and Ollman is pleased to present a group exhibition featuring major works by James Castle (1899–1977) in conversation with a range of contemporary artists. The exhibition will celebrate John Ollman's 50th anniversary as an art dealer and his legacy as one of the preeminent champions and scholars of self-taught art in the United States. Ollman has challenged conventional hierarchies, championed a wide range of artforms, and pursued varied interests from ethnographic to 20th and 21st century self-taught art in his fifty-year career. We celebrate John Ollman with a presentation of works by James Castle, whose work Ollman first exhibited in 1998 and continued to champion from the discovery stage through recognition by major museums.

Born profoundly deaf and believed never to have learned to read, write, or sign, James Castle spent his lifetime making art on his family's farm in Idaho. Creating sophisticated drawings, books, and sculptures from humble materials such as discarded envelopes, matchboxes, twine, and soot, Castle produced a complex body of work: one that is not only deeply personal—as it intimately documents the artist's life and surroundings—but also provides the viewer with a fascinating glimpse into rural American life and landscape of the last century.

Dear John includes examples of Castle’s sensitive, atmospheric drawings on unfolded matchboxes. On one side of these iconic works, Castle documents details of the remote landscape surrounding him—barns, telephones poles, trees, and mountains. On the other, he details the interior of his family's home and barns. These domestic objects and animals are also the subject of several sculptural constructions fashioned from cardboard, string, and pigment, which are on view along with examples of his artist books, “symbol pages” and patterned drawings.

The exhibition will bring these select works by Castle together with paintings, drawings, sculpture, and works on paper by contemporary artists that share key themes and universal impulses that cross time, place, and intention. Much like Ollman’s direct and indirect influence on the field of self-taught art and new generations of gallerists, artists, and writers, Castle's work continues to reverberate.

Coinciding with the presentation at Adams and Ollman will be a companion exhibition at JTT (New York) and an online archival presentation by Fleisher/Ollman.

See it All by William Pym

Works

James Castle
Untitled, n.d.
soot and saliva on found paper
3 1/4 x 5 1/4 inches
8.26 x 13.34 centimeters
JCas 735

Sarah McEneaney
Spring Summer 2019, 2019
acrylic and collage on wood
48 x 72 inches
121.92 x 182.88 centimeters
SM.7672

James Castle
Untitled, n.d.
soot and saliva on found paper
5 1/2 x 7 3/8 inches
13.97 x 18.73 centimeters
JCas 677

James Castle
Untitled, n.d.
soot and saliva on found paper
5 1/2 x 7 3/8 inches
13.97 x 18.73 centimeters
JCas 678

Andrew Cranston
(We are) family, 2020
distemper and bleach on hardback book cover
11 3/4 x 9 5/8 inches
29.85 x 24.45 centimeters
ACR-20-023

Lois Dodd
House as Noah's Ark, 1978
oil on masonite
12 x 15 inches
30.48 x 38.10 centimeters
LD 78.09

Katherine Bradford
Tall House and Swimmers, 2020
acrylic on canvas
16 x 12 inches
40.64 x 30.48 centimeters
KBrad 148

James Castle
Untitled, n.d.
color of unknown origin on found paper
4 1/2 x 4 3/4 inches
11.43 x 12.07 centimeters
JCas 588

Andrew Cranston
Da da da, 2020
oil and varnish on hardback book cover
7 5/8 x 5 7/8 inches
19.37 x 14.92 centimeters
ACR-20-024

Hilary Pecis
Sleeping Dog, 2021
acrylic on canvas
22 x 18 inches
55.88 x 45.72 centimeters
HPE64-PTG

James Castle
Untitled, n.d.
soot and saliva on found paper
5 1/4 x 7 1/4 inches
13.34 x 18.42 centimeters
JCas 594

Lois Dodd
Barn Interior, 1986
oil on masonite
12 x 12 inches
30.48 x 30.48 centimeters
LD 86.41

Nick Goss
Yellow Room, 2020
watercolour on paper
28 x 28 centimeters
11 x 11 inches
NG001

Willa Wasserman
Still life [dyed daisies, manzanita, sunflower], 2020
oil on linen
13 x 11 x 3/4 inches
33.02 x 27.94 x 1.91 centimeters
WW001

James Castle
Untitled, n.d.
soot, spit and colored pulp on found paper
6 7/8 x 3 3/4 inches
17.46 x 9.53 centimeters
JCas 198

Ficus Interfaith
Fig Tree Door, 2018
concrete, marble, glass, brass, walnut
106 x 60 inches
269.24 x 152.40 centimeters
FI_002

Dina No
Untitled, 2021
glazed stoneware
6 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches
16.51 x 13.97 centimeters
DN_002

Dina No
Untitled, 2021
glazed stoneware
4 1/2 x 4 inches
11.43 x 10.16 centimeters
DN_003

Jeffry Mitchell
Gallo Claudio, 2021
glazed ceramic
23 x 18 x 6 1/2 inches
58.42 x 45.72 x 16.51 centimeters
JeM2021_001

James Castle
Untitled, n.d.
soot and saliva on found paper with string
5 1/2 x 7 1/4 inches
13.97 x 18.42 centimeters
JCas 709

Evgeny Antufiev
Untitled, 2020
bronze, patina
12 1/4 x 7 1/4 x 3/4 inches
31.12 x 18.42 x 1.91 centimeters
EA_01002

Becky Suss
Paper Doll’s House (from The Paper Doll’s House of Miss Sarah Elizabeth Birdsall Otis, aged Twelve), 2021
oil on canvas
11 x 14 inches
27.94 x 35.56 centimeters
BSuss002

James Castle
Untitled, n.d.
soot and saliva with string on found paper
3 3/8 x 3 1/8 inches
8.57 x 7.94 centimeters
JCas 705

Conny Purtill
The Ground: Landscape (A), 2020
pencil on found paper in artist's cardboard frame
10 15/16 x 8 7/16 inches
27.78 x 21.43 centimeters
CP_2020_05

Conny Purtill
The Ground: Landscape (B), 2020
pencil on found paper in in artist's cardboard frame
10 15/16 x 8 7/16 inches
27.78 x 21.43 centimeters
CP_2020_06

Conny Purtill
The Ground: Landscape (C), 2020
pencil on found paper in in artist's cardboard frame
10 15/16 x 8 7/16 inches
27.78 x 21.43 centimeters
CP_2020_07

Conny Purtill
The Ground: Landscape (D), 2020
pencil on found paper in in artist's cardboard frame
10 15/16 x 8 7/16 inches
27.78 x 21.43 centimeters
CP_2020_08

Jessica Jackson Hutchins
Acid Blotter, 2015
chair, paper mache, cups, enamel, paint, glazed ceramic
35 x 25 x 31 inches
88.90 x 63.50 x 78.74 centimeters
JJH.10406

James Castle
Untitled, n.d.
mixed media paper pulp, color of unknown origin
3 1/2 x 3 1/4 inches
8.89 x 8.26 centimeters
JCas 587

Ricky Swallow
Chair with Crooks, 2021
patinated bronze
36 x 20 x 6 inches
91.44 x 50.80 x 15.24 centimeters
RS 21.001

Katherine Bradford
Standing Figures for Castle, 2020
acrylic on canvas
40 x 30 inches
101.60 x 76.20 centimeters
KBrad 147

James Castle
Untitled, n.d.
color of unknown origin on found paper 5 1/2 x 11 inches
13.97 x 27.94 centimeters
JCas 614

Chris Johanson
And now with, 2019-21
acrylic on canvas in artist's frame
16 1/8 x 18 1/8 inches
40.96 x 46.04 cm
CJ-P21-12

James Castle
Untitled, n.d.
soot and spit on found paper
4 1/2 x 2 1/4 inches
11.43 x 5.72 centimeters
JCas 623

Ryan McLaughlin
Untitled, 2017
oil on linen on MDF
36 x 25 inches
91.44 x 63.50 centimeters
RM201704

James Castle
Untitled, n.d.
color of unknown origin on sugar bag
3 3/4 x 8 1/2 inches
9.53 x 21.59 centimeter
JCas 700

James Castle
Untitled, n.d.
soot and spit on found paper
4 1/4 x 8 1/4 inches
10.80h x 20.96w cm
JCas 624

James Castle
Untitled, n.d.
soot and saliva on found paper
6 3/8 x 5 1/2 inches
16.19 x 13.97 centimeters
JCas 680

James Castle
Untitled, n.d.
soot and saliva on found paper
4 x 6 7/8 inches
10.16 x 17.46 centimeters
JCas 679

David Korty
Word Painting (Minutes), 2017
flashe, ink, paper on canvas
40 x 30 inches
101.60 x 76.20 centimeters
DK_001

Emily Mae Smith
Peplum Perversion drawing, 2015
pencil on paper
9 1/2 x 6 1/2 inches
24.13 x 16.51 centimeters
EMS 04

Emily Mae Smith
drawing for Madame X, 2016
pencil on paper
3 1/2 x 4 inches
8.89 x 10.16 centimeters
EMS 03

Vaginal Davis
Julian Eltinge as Vesta Tilley, 2018
watercolor pencil, nail varnish, lip stain, eye shadow, glycerin, hydrogen peroxide, witch hazel, coconut oil, cocoa butter, perfume, hairspray, Anacin Fast Pain Relief Tablets, Excedrin Migraine & Headache Tablets, Lydia E. Pinkham Women's Compound and Health Tonic
4 1/10 x 3 inches
10.41 x 7.62 centimeters
VD201856