Until December 29, 2024, the Martell Corporate Foundation in Cognac is hosting the first retrospective exhibition in Europe of the American sculptor James Blain Blunk (1926-2002).

While widely known across the Atlantic, his work is emerging from obscurity on the other side of the continent thanks to the contributions of his daughter Mariah Nielson, director of the JB Blunk Estate, and Anne Dressen, curator at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. In total, more than 150 pieces, ranging from the Shield, Bizen Vase (1953) to the Penis Stool #1 (1975) – from private collections and the JB Blunk Estate – showcase the diverse artisanal techniques employed by this avant-garde artist.

The scenography, conceived by Italian designer Martino Gamper, is a clear homage to the craftsman's home-studio, nestled in the heart of the Californian forest in Inverness. Divided into six distinct sections – Japan, Landscape, Home, Archetypes, Process, and Art in Public Space – the exhibition "JB Blunk – Continuum" immerses visitors in the sculptor's artistic world.
His passion for Japanese craftsmanship began in the 1940s. While a student at the University of California, Los Angeles, Blunk discovered the work of Japanese ceramicist Shoji Hamada. This revelation prompted him to move to Asia ten years later to uncover the secrets of this art form. Displayed on a table with rounded corners, Blunk's early works stand near the Akari lamps by Isamu Noguchi, an artist who played a pivotal role in his entire career. Ikebana and Bizen vases, incense holders, ceramic plates… Each creation reflects the Japanese influences passed down to him by master potters Kitaōji Rosanjin and Toyo Kaneshige in the 1950s.

It seems impossible to discuss Blunk's work without mentioning his life's masterpiece: his studio-home. This dwelling allowed him to constantly immerse himself in the surrounding nature. During his walks along the Pacific Ocean, Blunk collected redwood stumps and other pieces of driftwood, which he transformed into sculptures ranging from minimalist to monumental. He also skillfully combined polished stone with various materials to create enigmatic pieces that echoed the rhythms of nature.
Projected onto one of the walls of the exhibition hall, the film With These Hands: The Rebirth of The American Craftsman bears witness to Blunk's rather surprising creative process. Using a chainsaw, the American sculptor carved pieces of wood to transform them into monumental works dedicated in particular to public spaces, such as The Magic Boat (1979), a wooden bench still present at the California Orientation Center for the Blind in Cerrito, or Greens (1978), a sculptural table intended for one of the first vegetarian restaurants in San Francisco.

« My working method, which is at the heart of all my sculptures, is based on a theme, the soul of the work. " said JB Blunk in 1998, specifying: " Sometimes it is evoked by the material, sometimes it is an idea or a concept in my mind. It is always present, regardless of the material, the size or the scale of what the work will be once finished. "Blunk was a complete artist. And the retrospective exhibition dedicated to his work is a testament to that."

“JB BLUNK – CONTINUUM” MARTELL CORPORATE FOUNDATION
16, AVENUE PAUL-FIRINO-MARTELL, COGNAC
UNTIL DECEMBER 29, 2024
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