Brewton artwork donated to Museum Jorn

​We’re delighted to give James E. Brewton’s most recently discovered artwork to Museum Jorn in Silkeborg, Denmark. Museum Jorn, founded by the great artist Asger Jorn (1914-1973), is the first museum outside of the U.S. to collect a piece by Brewton.

The artwork was likely part of Jim’s solo exhibition, The American Dream-Girl: Graffiti Pataphysic, 12-26 May 1965, Galerie AP, NY Adelgade 4, Copenhagen. In 1965, Jim Brewton visited Denmark a second time, thanks to the kindness and hospitality of Erik and Janet Nyholm. Jim worked as a guest artist at Aage Damgaard’s factory/studio, where he created the works for The American Dream-Girl: Graffiti Pataphysic. Most of the pictures remained in Denmark. We thank Lars Jørgensen, Silkeborg, for helping make this donation possible.

Many of the elements of Jim’s mixed-media pieces were saved after his death in 1967, and Emily found them in 2008, thanks to Patricia Wright.

Years later, Emily saw the origin of Jim's unicycle/phallic figure, documented by Jorn's Comparative Vandalism project:

The Brewton Foundation’s mission is to locate, preserve, and ultimately donate its publicly-held artworks to cultural and educational organizations. A nonprofit founded in 2008, we also compile the Brewton catalogue raisonné and serve as a resource for the advanced study of mid-century avant-garde art.

Brewton public collections include:

• Friends' Central School, Philadelphia
• Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College
• Museum Jorn, Silkeborg, Denmark
• Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
• Philadelphia Museum of Art
• University of Pennsylvania Libraries
• Virginia Museum of Fine Arts