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
BIOGRAPHY
EXHIBITIONS
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Castle often drew from common commercially printed items that came through the household, such as this tiny humorous matchbook cover.
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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
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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Untitled book drawn and hand bound by James Castle.
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Castle explored geometry of the star shape in many of his drawings.
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James Castle
Untitled drawing, soot on found paper.
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Reiterations of the wood burning stove in his drawings suggest it held particular interest to Castle. Family stories tell us this is where he collected the soot to make his ink.
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James Castle frequently transcribed commercially printed materials. These colorful works were inspired by Ohio Blue Tip matchbook covers, printed around 1955.
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A delightful, perplexing and intriguing drawing.
Soot on found paper, 5 1/8 x 6 inches.
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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
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Castle often restated his work into other forms. Here he takes the images in his collage of stamps and labels to create a spread in one of his books.
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Castle drew many seemingly conventional landscape views. Looking more closely however, you discover remarkable and inexplicable structures and elements added by this highly imaginative artist.
Untitled, undated, soot on found paper. 10 x 13 inches with details
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untitled drawing
found paper, soot
5 x 8 1/2 inches
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