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Finding Aid to the Jess Papers, 1941-2004, bulk 1962-1997, 1941-2004, (bulk 1962-1997)
BANC MSS 2006/203
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Table of contents
Collection Title: Jess papers
Date (inclusive): 1941-2004,
Date (bulk): 1962-1997
Collection Number: BANC MSS 2006/203
Related Name Indexing Term: Jess, 1923-
Extent: Number of containers: 23 boxes, 2 cartons, 3 oversize boxes, 4 volumes
Linear feet: 14 linear ft.
1 Digital Object (3 images)
Repository: The Bancroft Library.
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
Abstract: The Jess Papers, 1941-2004 (bulk 1962-1997) document his life as an American assemblage artist and painter. The papers are
divided into four series: Correspondence, Writings, General Files, and George Herms Papers and consist of correspondence,
manuscripts, flyers, announcements, clippings, writings, artwork, and miscellaneous materials.
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English
Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information
on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Collection is open for research.
Materials in this collection may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction
of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions,
privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond
that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the
Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000. See:
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html .
[Identification of item], Jess Papers, BANC MSS 2006/203, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley
<Digital reproductions of selected items are available.
Printed materials have been transferred to the book collection of The Bancroft Library.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog
Art -- California -- San Francisco Bay Area
Artists -- California -- San Francisco Bay Area
Assemblage (Art)
Beat generation - California
Collage
Duncan, Robert Edward, 1919-1988
Herms, George, 1935-
The Jess Papers were a gift of the Phyllis Wattis Foundation in 2005.
No additions are expected.
Processed to the folder level by Jennifer Davis in 2006.
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.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Jess Papers, 1941-2004 (bulk 1962-1997) document his life as an American assemblage artist and painter. The papers are
divided into four series: Correspondence, Writings, General Files, and George Herms Papers and consist of correspondence,
manuscripts, flyers, announcements, clippings, writings, artwork, and miscellaneous materials.