Sunday, April 26, 2009

James Rosenquist loses home, two studios, and art to a wild brush fire in Florida

Sun Li, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 74.3 x 48 in. (188.6 x 121.9 cm.), 2005. Courtesy Acquavella Galleries. Painted at Aripeka, FL

The west Florida home of world renowned artist James Rosenquist has been lost to a wild brush fire. The fire also claimed two of Rosenquist’s Florida studios-- which contained recent artwork that was destined for an art show in New York City. Rosenquist, 75, has stated that he was “totally wiped out”. I’ve been told that Rosenquist evacuated safely and that he watched his home and studios burn from a boat near his property. Apparently the 80 acre fire has since been contained. No one was injured in the blaze.

Most of the media reports of the incident describe James Rosenquist as a famous Pop artist. However, when I interviewed Rosenquist in 2008 he offered some thoughts on that. He stated, “They called me a Pop artist because I used recognizable imagery. The critics like to group people together. I didn't meet Andy Warhol until 1964. I did not really know Andy or Roy Lichtenstein that well. We all emerged separately.”.

Links of Interest:

James Rosenquist: Painting is done with a paintbrush -- Myartspace Blog www.myartspace.com/blog/2009/01/james-rosenquist-painting-is-done-with.html

Interview with James Rosenquist -- Myartspace Blog
www.myartspace.com/blog/2008/04/art-space-talk-james-rosenquist.html

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
myartspace.com
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is horrible. What a nightmare! I don't know what I'd do if my art burned.

GingerTice said...

I lost a lot of my posessions and art materials recently. As a young artist, it is hard to deal with, but I know that eventually I can buy supplies again and make something new as I build my way out of the damage. We have to find strength out of loss and use the circumstance to build a new story, a new message, and a new lesson to share with others.