Jim Thompson
Jim Thompson is an untrained conceptual artist working in series that excavate childhood memories and artifacts for moments of particular resonance. He recontextualizes these objects through painting. A child of the Pictures Generation, Thompson looks for subject territory in objects that function as fine art functions while remaining outside of a fine art context.
The artist’s Mille Bornes painting series from 2013 is based on the 1954 French card game which he played in his youth, the object of which is to be the first player to go 1,000 miles. Players attempt to slow one another down with hazards like accidents, speed limits, flat tires, and stop lights. Mileage cards are played to advance toward 1,000. Each hazard card has a corresponding remedy, and four super cards make players impervious to specific hazards. These Mille Bornes card images demonstrate examples of where graphic design satisfies most of the functions historically expected of fine art, including beauty, clarity, and indelibility. Through painting, Thompson annexes these forms into a fine art context, and codify the durable images of his youth.
Thompson’s work has been shown at Charlie James Gallery in Los Angeles, Eric Firestone Gallery in East Hampton, NY, and numerous national …
Jim Thompson is an untrained conceptual artist working in series that excavate childhood memories and artifacts for moments of particular resonance. He recontextualizes these objects through painting. A child of the Pictures Generation, Thompson looks for subject territory in objects that function as fine art functions while remaining outside of a fine art context.
The artist’s Mille Bornes painting series from 2013 is based on the 1954 French card game which he played in his youth, the object of which is to be the first player to go 1,000 miles. Players attempt to slow one another down with hazards like accidents, speed limits, flat tires, and stop lights. Mileage cards are played to advance toward 1,000. Each hazard card has a corresponding remedy, and four super cards make players impervious to specific hazards. These Mille Bornes card images demonstrate examples of where graphic design satisfies most of the functions historically expected of fine art, including beauty, clarity, and indelibility. Through painting, Thompson annexes these forms into a fine art context, and codify the durable images of his youth.
Thompson’s work has been shown at Charlie James Gallery in Los Angeles, Eric Firestone Gallery in East Hampton, NY, and numerous national and international art fairs.
Courtesy of Charlie James Gallery
