1960 Mixed Media Wall Assemblage by James Spencer Russell

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A 1960 mixed media wall assemblage by the American artist James Spencer Russell (1915-2000). This assemblage features a dense array … Read more A 1960 mixed media wall assemblage by the American artist James Spencer Russell (1915-2000). This assemblage features a dense array of found objects including a section of a tiled floor, a partial brick, metal grate, a license plate, as well as other objects, arranged on the top portion of the assemblage. The lower portion of the assemblage features a painting of a rearrangement of the objects used in the top portion of the assemblage. Signed to the verso, the assemblage is surrounded by a white border and a black wooden frame.

Born in Monticello, Indiana, Russell was interested in art from a young age but was directed into pursuing a military career by his family. As a young person, he attended a military academy, became a celebrated codebreaker during WWII, and even received a scholarship to attend West Point. However, Russell's interest in art eventually led him to abandon his military pursuits and try to make it in the art world instead. After working as an NBC set designer after WWII, he turned his attention to becoming a full-time artist. During the 1960s, he started exhibiting his works alongside artists who would later come to characterize the art scene at the time, including Robert Rauschenberg and Roy Lichtenstein. He later moved back to Indiana where he continued to create art until his death in 2000. See less