GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART TO CELEBRATE ILLUSTRATOR JACK DAVIS WITH FALL EXHIBITION

The Georgia Museum of Art is planning an exhibit of famed illustrator for MAD Magazine, comic books, movie posters, record album covers, and more, Atlanta native, and University of Georgia alum, Jack Davis to run from November 3, 2012 until January 6, 2013 in Athens, Georgia.

For Immediate Release

Contact: Michael Lachowski, 706-542-9078, mlachow@uga.edu

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.

For high-resolution images, reply to this email or contact Michael Lachowski at 706.542.9078 or mlachow@uga.edu.

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About the Georgia Museum of Art
Partial support for the exhibitions and programs at the Georgia Museum of Art is provided by the Georgia Council for the Arts through appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. The council is a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Individuals, foundations and corporations provide additional museum support through their gifts to the University of Georgia Foundation. The Georgia Museum of Art is located in the Performing and Visual Arts Complex on the East Campus of the University of Georgia. The address is 90 Carlton Street, University of Georgia, Athens, Ga. 30602-6719. For more information, including hours, see www.georgiamuseum.org or call 706.542.GMOA (4662).
Mailing address:
Georgia Museum of Art
90 Carlton Street
Athens, GA 30602
706.542.GMOA (4662)
www.georgiamuseum.org

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