James Siena – 4.10.89 - (Study for three paintings), 1989

James Siena – 4.10.89 - (Study for three paintings), 1989

James Siena – 4.10.89 - (Studies for three paintings)
Graphite and ink drawing on paper
Signed and dated in graphite pencil on the front
This marvelous original study features three abstract ink drawings. Each has pencil annotations underneath, as well as on top. The annotations underneath read, from left to right, respectively:

1. TELLER
2. WATCHER
3. SPITTER
   On the top of the drawing, the artist’s pencil annotations read:
   FIRST PAINTING: TELLER - Six color Problem
   SECOND PAINTING: WATCHER - Six color Problem
   THIRD PAINTING: SPITTER – Six color Problem
   Accompanied by additional details and descriptions of the shapes (i.e. squiggly, rectangular, etc).

A wonderful work that provides insight into the artist’s creative process.
Provenance: Acquired from Jay Gorney, with Gorney, Bravin and Lee Gallery label
(renowned art dealer Jay Gorney, who began his career at Sidney Janis and ran his eponymous SoHo Gallery for many years, partnered with Bravin and Lee for nearly two decades, and was later associated with Paula Cooper and Marlborough Gallery. )
This work has been elegantly framed in a museum quality blond wood frame under UV plexiglass,and bears the original label on the verso.
Measurements:
Framed

12 inches (veretical) by 9.5 inches (horizontal) by 1inch

Artwork:
11 inches (vertical) by 8.5 inches (horizontal)

JAMES SIENA BIOGRAPHY
James Siena (b. 1957 in Oceanside, CA) received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. For over two decades, the artist has taught at New York’s School of Visual Arts in the Masters of Fine Arts department. He is a board member of the Corporation of Yaddo, Saratoga Springs, NY; National Academy of Design, New York, NY; and the Herbert F. Johnson Museum at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. In 2021, Siena was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in Fine Arts by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, New York, NY.

Siena’s work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at Baronian, Brussels, Belgium; Dieu Donné, New York, NY; Galerie Xippas, Paris, France; Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY; Miles McEnery Gallery, New York, NY; The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; Pace Gallery, New York, NY; Pace Prints, New York, NY; Pierogi 2000, Brooklyn, NY; The Print Center, Philadelphia, PA; Ratio 3, San Francisco, CA; and the University Art Museum, University of Albany, Albany, NY; among others.

The artist has participated in group exhibitions at the American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York, NY; Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY; The FLAG Art Foundation, New York, NY; Heckscher Museum of Art, Huntington, NY; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI; The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, NY; Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston, MA; Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Houston, TX; The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, Long Island City, NY; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; and elsewhere.

His work is in numerous institutional collections including the British Museum, London, United Kingdom; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston, MA; Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Houston, TX; The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY.
The artist lives and works in New York, NY and Otis, MA.