Mixed media and collage on rag paper, circa 1977. 1016x775 mm; 40x30½ inches.
Provenance: Robinson Galleries, Houston, with the gallery label on the frame back; private collection, Houston.
A long-time resident of Houston's 5th Ward, Jesse Lott was an artist celebrated for his wire and wood sculptures, papier mâché figures, and collages. Jesse Lott's work is derived from collecting and recycling discarded materials; his practice was "a type of urban archeology fused with scientific methodology." His solo exhibition Jesse Lott: Urban Frontier Artist traveled to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Washington, DC, from the Art Car Museum in Houston. His work has also been exhibited at the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Alternative Museum (now closed) in Lower Manhattan.
Lott influenced many contemporary artists, including James Surls, Bert Long Jr., Rick Lowe, Robert Pruitt, Angelbert Metoyer and Robert Hodge. The all-ages workshops that he held in his studio as a community service inspired many students who would otherwise have no exposure to art. Lott's community-oriented philosophy and his Artists in Action program helped spark the creation of the now-famous Project Row Houses. In 2016, Art League Houston named Lott the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement in the Visual Arts Award. The Texas State Legislature appointed Jesse Lott, as 2021-2022 Texas State Three-Dimensional Artist of the Year. Bio courtesy of askart.com.
