When JMB Met JMB

When JMB Met JMB
Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol by Jeanette Montgomery Barron Photo courtesy the artist

These days the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat is so prevalent — Basquiat-branded phone cases, skateboards, BE@RBRICK collectible toys, even t-shirts at Abercrombie & Fitch — it's hard to imagine a time, before his estate decided to sell-out and cash-in, that the gay Black young man was an artist who spoke for those on the outside. Before dying of a heroin overdose at the age of 27 in 1988, the Brooklyn-born son of a Haitian father and a Puerto Rican mother began his career as a graffiti artist and by 22 was one of the youngest to exhibit at The Whitney Biennial in New York. The visual appeal of his erratic, chaotic acrylics often bellied their biting commentary on racial politics and class warfare, notably in his work "Irony of Negro Policeman."

In "JMB," a beautiful new limited edition book by Kent, Conn., based photographer Jeanette Montgomery Barron, whose famed portraits of New York City's art world have transfixed us with their moody mystery, Barron collects her intimate sittings of Basquiat through the 1980s. She will discuss "JMB" at House of Books in Kent on Saturday, June 3, at 6 p.m. For more go to www.houseofbooksct.com

Latest News

Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

Keep ReadingShow less
Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

Keep ReadingShow less