The University of Georgia will present an exhibition of Jack Davis's work at the Georgia Museum of Art this fall! Davis is well known for his sports and caricature work, and of course the Gnat and Bubba!
Definitely check out this exhibit if you can!
Georgia Museum of Art to celebrate illustrator Jack Davis with fall exhibition
Athens, Ga.—The Georgia Museum of Art (GMOA) at the University of
Georgia will present the exhibition “Beyond the Bulldog: Jack Davis”
from Nov. 3, 2012, to Jan. 6, 2013. Organized by guest curator Patrick
Dean, a cartoonist himself, who sits on the board of the Jack Davis
Foundation, the exhibition goes deeper into Davis’ career than the
sports and caricature work for which he is best known, focusing on his
black-and-white drawings in particular. This exhibition is also part of
UGA’s Spotlight on the Arts festival, to be held Nov. 3–11.
Perhaps best known in Georgia for his depictions of Southeastern
Conference mascots tussling, Jack Burton Davis Jr. (b. 1924) has had a
lengthy career in illustration and cartooning, with an immediately
recognizable style and an influence that extends far beyond his home
state. Having published his first cartoon at the age of 12, Davis
studied with the artist Lamar Dodd in the University of Georgia’s art
school, which he attended on the G.I. Bill, and honed his skills drawing
for the Red and Black (the student newspaper) and Bullsheet,
an Athens humor publication. After graduating, he moved to New York,
where he attended the Art Students League before landing work with
William Gaines at EC Comics.
Famed in particular for his speed and a tendency to create images
overflowing with colorful characters, he was one of the founding artists
of Mad magazine, supplied covers for Time and TV Guide
and designed album art and movie posters aplenty. Davis created his
first art for UGA’s athletics program in 1948, when he drew Coach Wally
Butts for the front and back of that year’s media guide, and the
relationship has lasted ever since.
Dean said, “Davis’ prolific career goes further back than most people
realize. Some of this exhibition displays his work from EC Comics,
including two complete comic stories for museum visitors to read. These
pages show his skill as a sequential artist, with an emphasis on
people’s pained and terrified faces and hand gestures. Still, even in
these comics, his familiar style hints at his trademark humor and
warmth. There’s also something particularly southern in his work of all
eras, like his running figures with clumps of red clay stuck to their
feet.”
This exhibition attempts to show Davis’ range by bringing together a
selection of his original work that demonstrates his breadth of subjects
and his skills as an artist focusing on American popular culture.
Dean continued, “The point of the show isn’t to shun his more popular
sports drawing, but to bring attention to his work that may not be as
well known to the general public. Visitors may recognize some of these
images, but I hope they appreciate the level of detail Davis put into
his work. Some of that detail gets lost when the images are shrunk down
and printed on paper stock of varying quality. Studying Jack Davis’
crosshatching and brushwork will be a real treat to anyone who’s admired
this man’s work.”
Dean will speak on Davis’ career Sunday, Nov. 4, at 3 p.m. at the museum, with a reception to follow.
This exhibition is sponsored by the W. Newton Morris Charitable Foundation and the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art.
