Jess, 1923-2004

Jess, American visual artist, was born Burgess Collins on August 6, 1923 in Long Beach, California. Jess was educated as a chemist at the California Institute of Technology. Disillusioned with his scientific career, in 1949 he enrolled in the California School of the Arts (now the San Francisco Art Institute) and began referring to himself as "Jess". He met Robert Duncan in 1951 and maintained a relationship with the poet that lasted until Duncan's death in 1988.

George Herms, one of the founders of the California Assemblage Art movement, was a regular correspondent of Jess's.

From the description of Jess papers, 1941-2004 (bulk 1962-1997). (University of California, Berkeley). WorldCat record id: 77058198

Biographical Information

Jess, American visual artist, was born Burgess Collins on August 6, 1923 in Long Beach, California. Jess was educated as a chemist at the California Institute of Technology. Disillusioned with his scientific career, in 1949 he enrolled in the California School of the Arts (now the San Francisco Art Institute) and began referring to himself as "Jess". He met Robert Duncan in 1951 and maintained a relationship with the poet that lasted until Duncan's death in 1988.

By the early 1960s, Jess had won critical esteem for his collage art, which he referred to as "paste-ups". For more than 30 years, Jess was represented by New York's Odyssia Gallery; he also worked closely with Gallery Paule Anglim in San Francisco. Jess's art appears in major museums around the country including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the National Gallery of Art. Jess died on January 2, 2004 in San Francisco.

From the guide to the Jess papers, 1941-2004, 1962-1997, (The Bancroft Library.)