 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:
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 James E. Brewton. Untitled (portrait of Claire Van Vliet). n.d., oils on canvas, 26" x 30", private collection. Last week we located this portrait of Jim's friend, Claire Van Vliet. Van Vliet, a master printmaker, founded the renowned Janus Press in 1955. Her work has been recognized with many awards and honors, including her election to the National Academy, two Honorary Doctorates of Fine Arts, and a MacArthur Prize Fellowship in 1989.
Van Vliet was an important figure in Brewton's artistic development, introducing him to Erik Nyholm and Jim McWilliams. When Van Vliet sailed to Denmark in 1962 for an illustration project, Jim and his partner at the time, writer Barbara Holland, decided at the last minute to go along. She had planned a social visit with Erik and Janet Nyholm before beginning her work, and showed up on their doorstep with Jim and Barbara. Jim and Barbara rented a barn in nearby Funder and, during that stay in Denmark, Brewton's work took on the spontaneity and vibrant colors of the CoBrA movement. Many of the CoBrA artists were friends of Erik Nyholm, and the Nyholms' farmhouse was once completely covered with paintings by Asger Jorn, Constant and Corneille--the walls, ceilings, even inside the kitchen cupboards. Jim returned to Denmark in 1965 to visit Nyholm and help with Jorn's Comparative Vandalism project. In the early 1960s Van Vliet lived in Philadelphia taught at the Philadelphia College of Art (now University of the Arts); she met Jim McWilliams there. McWilliams ran the Print Department, and let Brewton and other artist friends use the equipment after hours. The two Jims, McWilliams and Brewton, lifted many a beer at Dirty Frank's Bar, and were co-organizers of the exhibition that opened a few days after Brewton's death: Society for the Commemoration of Festivals and Fetishes, 15 May-7 June, 1967, Socrates Perakis Gallery, Philadelphia. At some point while living and teaching in Philadelphia, Van Vliet was out of town for a while and lent Jim the use of her apartment. As a thank-you, Jim painted her portrait, which came to light in a private collection on Feb. 25, 2021. We are delighted to see it and share this image, with the owner's permission. Thanks to Emily's aunt Rebecca, another Brewton painting has been found! Here it is, "Cabin, Stream, and Willow Tree" (1963), 9" x 13":  Jim and Emily's mother, Barbara Holland, spent much of 1962 in Denmark, where Jim worked with Erik Nyholm and Asger Jorn. Barbara wrote a short story called "Cabin, Stream, and Willow Tree," published in Seventeen magazine's November 1962 issue. Although she kept most of her published stories, we can't find this one in her files. The New York Public Library doesn't have it, and Seventeen didn't answer a query.
We were just looking for the story a few months ago, and never expected the painting to pop up! A thousand thanks to Rebecca Holland Snyder for finding it in Virginia, and shipping it to us in New York! Maybe someday we'll find a copy of the story. Today a collector sent us pictures of these two splendid paintings, from Jim's time in Denmark in 1962. The collector has kindly given us permission to share these images. You can really see Asger Jorn's influence in them. Jim was electrified when he learned about CoBrA while working at The Print Club in Philadelphia; he jumped at the chance to go to Denmark and make art with Erik Nyholm, Asger Jorn and their friends. What a joy to see images of these fabulous, colorful artworks!   Happy holidays, everyone! And thank you to all Brewton collectors and friends. Please stay in touch!
We're thrilled to see these water colors by Jim Brewton, from a private Copenhagen collection. The collector recently let us know about his artworks, very happy news! Jim's water colors from 1962 were sold through the Galerie Moderne in Silkeborg, Denmark. He also showed some water colors in his solo exhibition at Makler Gallery in Philadelphia in 1963. We have located only one of the pictures from the Makler show; for the rest, all we have is a list of titles. Owners, please come forward! We absolutely respect your privacy, and knowledge of the artworks is extremely helpful.
 Aboriginal American (1962)  In 1962 and 1965, Jim Brewton traveled to Denmark, working with Erik Nyholm and Asger Jorn in Silkeborg. In 1965 he was also resident artist at Aage Damgaard’s shirt factory-studio in Herning, and showed his work at Galerie AP in Copenhagen (“Graffiti Pataphysic: The American Dream-Girl”).
We now believe Jim painted his Trine series of graffiti works in Silkeborg in 1965, naming them for Katrine Nyholm (Erik and Janet’s daughter, nicknamed “Trine”). Just as he encouraged young Emily to scribble graffiti on his paintings at home in Philadelphia, Jim asked Trine to contribute on this series. In January, Maggie Worsdale gave us Trine 4, which had been given to her by collector Barbara Miller Fine. When we spread the news of Trine 4, another collector told us the previously unknown titles of two abstracts: Trines 3 and 6. Where is Trine 5, and are there any more?  Meet "Trine #4," an exquisite graffiti painting by Jim Brewton. It was probably painted in Denmark in 1965, with the participation of Erik Nyholm's daughter Katrine.
The painting was recently given to actress and singer Maggie Worsdale, who found our website and gave the painting to Emily. Nice!!! Maggie Worsdale is performing as Martha Washington on Sunday, Jan. 7, and has a number of singing engagements coming up, with special shows around Valentine's Day. Check them out! I hope to see Maggie myself someday soon, and thank her in person for her extraordinary kindness. Click here for Maggie Worsdale's show listings. ... in a New Hope, Pa., collection:
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