James Jarvaise

James Jarvaise (February 16, 1924 – June 19, 2015 ) was an American painter based in Southern California.

James Jarvaise was born on February 16, 1924, in Indianapolis, Indiana, to James Alexis (1888-1965) and Suzanne (Conlin) Jarvaise (1890-1978).

His father, born in Turkey to French parents, was a scholar of Greek studies, spoke five languages and was a collector of antiques, largely informing young James’ interests in arts and culture.

While studying as USC, Jarvaise met his future wife Olive Lorraine Weber (1924-2011), a Literature major.

The family, which included his sisters Julia and Catherine, spent time in New York City and Chicago, but Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania remained their main residence until 1940.

The Jarvaise family moved to Los Angeles where James graduated from John Marshall High School in 1942.

After graduating, James enlisted in the United States Army on April 23, 1943, in Los Angeles.

He trained at Camp Roberts, California where he was selected for Army Air Corps specialized training at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

Jarvaise was stationed in Heidelberg, Germany with the United States Army Air Corps from 1944 through 1945.

Following the war, Jarvaise traveled throughout France and Germany.

While in France, he  studied briefly with Fernand Léger in his studios in Paris and Biarritz, France.

While studying in Paris, James befriended artist Matsumi “Mike” Kanemitsu who would influence Jarvaise’s early artworks.

Jarvaise was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, but later lived in Chicago, Pittsburgh, and eventually moved to Los Angeles in 1946.

James returned to Los Angeles, California in 1946 where he enrolled in the University of Southern California (USC), studying at College of Letters, Arts and Science’s Fine Arts Department under Francis de Erdely and Edgar Ewing.

James Jarvaise and Lorraine Webber married in Inglewood, California in 1950.

The Jarvaise’s had five children, James Laurens, Julie Lorraine, Jeanne Marie, Anna Alexis, and Jean Rene.

During this period, Jarvaise developed a mixed media collage technique that he experimented with throughout his career.

Jarvaise assembled found objects, paint, industrial materials, and metals mostly in monochrome palettes of blacks, grays, whites, and beiges.

He was educated at Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh, PA; Ecole Dart/ Biarritz, France with Fernand Léger; earned a B.F.A. from the University of Southern California in 1952; studied at Yale in 1953; and earned an M.F.A. in 1954 from the University of Southern California.

Jarvaise graduated with Bachelor of Fine Arts, University of Southern California, College of Letters, Arts and Science, Fine Arts Department in 1952.

Later that year, he was awarded a purchase award for Crystal Lamp at the Annual Exhibition “Art Schools U.S.A.” Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, Massachusetts.

Jarvaise was an invited to attend Rico Le Brun’s Art Workshop at Yale University in 1953 where he audited Josef Albers’ classes.

Also in 1953, Lorraine was offered a teaching assignment by the U.S. Air Force in France  which allowed the couple the opportunity to travel and study throughout Europe.

Upon their return to Los Angeles, James completed his Master of Fine Arts, University of Southern California, College of Letters, Arts and Science, Fine Arts Department.

Albright Knox Gallery purchased Hudson River School Series # 30 in 1957.

Carnegie Museum of Art acquired Hudson River School Series # 16, 1957 the same year.

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art in Washington DC houses several unique works by James Jarvaise.

The Museum of Modern Art in New York City owns Hudson River School Painting #32.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) currently has two James Jarvaise paintings in their permanent collection.

In 1958 Museum of Modern Art curator Dorothy Canning Miller selected James Jarvaise for inclusion in the museum's Sixteen Americans exhibition (December 1958 – February 1959).

His work exhibited alongside Jay deFeo, Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Robert Rauschenberg and Frank Stella), with the potential to launch his career to great heights. However, life got in the way. A teaching job, a growing family and a desire for a less urban lifestyle took priority. Jarvaise did not become a household name. All the same he continued with his art.

Jarvaise relocated to Santa Barbara in 1969 and, from 1991 forward, served as Head of the Department of Fine and Performing Arts at Oxnard College.

Here, he influenced a new generation of painters, including Henry Taylor.

The AD&A Gallery, University of California, Santa Barbara acquired Hudson River School Series #59 from the Ruth Schaffner Collection in 1986.

His most recent exhibition, "James Jarvaise: Collages Redux" at Louis Stern Fine Arts featured a selection of his latest work from 1989-2013.

The show earned him a positive review on KCRW ArtTalk by Hunter Drohojowska-Philp.

In 2012, Louis Stern Fine Arts set out to remedy Jarvaise's obscurity with their "James Jarvaise And The Hudson River Series" exhibition.

The review praises the work for being the most youthful art on exhibit in April 2015.

James Jarvaise was 91 and energetically attended the opening.

His paintings and collages can be found at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC and the MoMA in New York.