On Thursday the 25th, I visited the Pasadena Museum of California Art to view the exhibit that is entitled "An Opening of the Field: Jess, Robert Duncan and Their Circle." This exhibt features the life of Jess Collins (1923-2004) and Robert Duncan) in their Victorian Mission District home in San Francisco in the 1950's and the 1960's. Jess was the painter and Robert the poet. They have been referred to as bohemians who welcomed many to join in their creative group of artists. The exhibit includes paintings, sculptures, drawings and films by 28 members of the circle.
Jess was trained as a chemist and worked during WW II on a government project that produced plutonium for atom bombs. He quit this job and turned to art. Duncan was the extrovert who was often teaching and giving poetry readings. Jess stayed home, tended the garden and made art.
There is a video of their life in the Victorian House which was full of books and artwork and shows them moving around the house and receiving visitors.
Jess is know for his collages composed from cut-up book and magazine illustrations and comic strips frequently on homosexual subjects with themes of love and chaos. He often used crayon as did Robert Duncan, his life partner for nearly 40 years. Thirty of the shows 169 objects are by Jess. Other artists featured besides Duncan are Helen Adam, William McNeill, Lyn Brown, Jack Spicer, Michael McClure, Robert Creeley, Jack Olson, and Virginia Admiral, wife of Robert De Niro Sr, an mother of their actor-son.
Here are a few samples of what I saw:
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| "To Corbett" 1951 by Jess |
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| "Feignting Spell," by Jess |
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| "Brockway's Breakfast in a Paris Lodging," 1951 by Lyn Brown |
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| "Sent On The Vllth Wave," 1979, by Jess. Collage and mixed media. |
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| "Portrait of Duncan," 1965 by Jess, showing Duncan sitting at their home. |
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| "Untitled," by Robert Duncan, crayon on paper |
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