CAS23-0976.

JAMES CASTLE

James Castle (1899-1977) was an American artist who found inspiration in the detritus of everyday life, primarily in the materials he collected from his family’s home, such as envelopes, packaging, advertisements, and matchbooks. Working mostly with soot, spit, and homemade tools, he created a rich, complex style that was wholly his own. Castle was born deaf and had limited means of communication. However, with the support of his family, he had dedicated space, supplies, and plenty of time to make art. Though he did not gain recognition for his art until the 1950s, Castle’s work is now exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide.

THE DEFINITIVE BOOK
ON THE WORK OF JAMES CASTLE

James Castle: Memory PaIace 
By John Beardsley
Published in March 2021 by Yale University Press

A fascinating new look at an extraordinary artist whose deafness led to an acute visual awareness and near photographic memory
Yale University Press

  • Book Cover for James Castle "Memory Palace"
  • Inside pages of Book called Memory Palace by James Castle
  • Memory Palace Book Featuring Art by James Castle
  • Constructions by artist James Castle
  • Memory Palace Inside Pages
  • Memory Palace Charcoal Drawings
James Castle at his home.
Photo Courtesy Geraldine Garrow Family

BIOGRAPHY

Tom Pazderka, Santa Barbara Museum of Art
Photo Credit: Tom Pazderka, Santa Barbara Museum of Art

EXHIBITIONS

Untitled book drawn and hand bound by James Castle.

#jamescastleartist #jamescastle #artistbooks #jamescastlearchive

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Untitled handmade book
found paper, soot, 12 pages
3 1/2 x 3 1/4 inches
Shown page 8 and 9

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Photographs of James Castle from the 1940`s are rare. Here he stands to the right of his brother-in-law Joseph F. Beach. Likely taken some time in the 40`s at the Eugene Street house in Boise.
Happy Birthday James Castle, born September 25, 1899.

#jamescastle #jamescastleartist

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James Castle often used color in his drawings.
Untitled (cow), not dated
Found paper, color of unknown origin 3 1/4 × 5 1/2 in

#jamescastleartist #selftaught #drawings

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Read the review of James Castle Memory Palace in The New York Review of Books. https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/01/13/castles-kingdom/?utm_source=nybooks&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email-share #jamescastleartist #jamescastle. Available at Yale University Press Books or wherever you buy books.

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#jamescastleartist #goblins

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Castle saved and transcribed many commercial holiday cards, creating imaginative and beautiful imagery entirly his own.

#jamescastle #christmasangels #jamescastleartist #christmas

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Untitled (horizon), n.d.
Found paper, color
4 3/4 x 6 3/4 in.

#jamescastleartist #colorabstraction

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This beautiful gem, along with four other works by Castle, is included in the exhibition “The Window: A Journey Through Art and Architecture through Windows” at the Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art, Marugame, Japan.
#architecture #jamescastle #window

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This beautiful drawing is included in the exhibition, The Private Universe of James Castle: Drawings from the William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation and James Castle Collection and Archive.
Opening this weekend at the Santa Barbara Musuem of Art. This is the first exhibition of the Castle`s work in Southern California.
On View June 25 – September 17, 2023
Untitled (view of attic)
Soot on found paper
7 1/2 x 16 inches
Collection of the James Castle Collection and Archive
@sbmuseart #jamescastleartist #jamescastlearchive

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Color drawing on lined notebook paper by James Castle.

#jamescastleartist #stilllife #morandi

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James Castle, one of the most enigmatic artists of the of the 20th century, was born 121 years ago today.

Within this untitled book by Castle, a possible self-portrait is depicted.
#jamescastleartist #artistmadebooks #selfportraits #happybirthday

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