JAMES H.D BROWN

Two bodies of work predominate in the production of the last years; The Planets and My Other House. The Planets is an ode to the universal idea of art, inspired by Gustav Holst’s musical suit. With paintings in different formats, James H.D Brown replicates firmaments, introducing the spectator to a journey, revealing that unfathomable cosmos. My Other House is a metaphysical exercise, an imaginary place where time and space entwine, where absolute creative freedom and control over factors which rule reality exist. My Other House is full of memories with his family, objects made by him (product of his experiences), windows overlooking the sky, flowers and cloth, and even glass chains which can be seen from the garden of the neighbours.

James H.D Brown was born in Los Angeles, California in 1951. Brown studied painting and printmaking at Immaculate Heart College in Hollywood, California from 1970-1972, in the Print Department founded by Sister Mary Corita. Brown then studied lithography at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris from 1972-1974, and received his B.F.A from Immaculate Heart College in 1974. While still in school, he moved from Los Angeles to Paris where he would live and work for 7 years. In 1979, Brown moved to New York, where he was grouped with other upcoming and young artists such as Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf, Donald Baechler and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Although Brown is best known for his painted abstractions and experimental prints, he has a long history with other mediums including ceramics, textiles, and artist books. In 1995, James Brown moved to Oaxaca, Mexico, where he started with his wife, Alexandra, the Carpe Diem Press, inviting leading artists and writers to create limited-edition books. His work is in various public collections including the Museum of Modern Art New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, the Whitney Museum New York, Musée Georges Pompidou Paris and the Tamayo Museum in Mexico City. After having lived 10 years in Oaxaca, Mexico, he and his wife Alexandra moved to Mérida, Yucatan in 2005.