Army Propagandist Turned Climate Champ HJ Bott, a Math-Minded Texas Legend, to Be Featured at Tish

Army Propagandist Turned Climate Champ HJ Bott, a Math-Minded Texas Legend, to Be Featured at Tish

'Late Current,' 2017

NEXT MONTH THE Anya Tish Gallery will present a retrospective work dating back to the 1970s of Houston-based arts legend HJ Bott, known for his interesting background — he created propaganda on behalf of the U.S. Army in Europe in the '50s — and for his colorful geometric abstracts, grown out of mathematical exploration of techniques and meant as political commentary.


"He has always been ahead of his time, sketching and melding formulas, challenging the aesthetic foundations of art, and influencing future generations," said a rep for the gallery.

The show, HJ Bott: a Baroque Minimalist, will be Tish's fifth solo exhibition of the Texas artist, who's been making art for more than 60 years. The exhibit will run Oct. 23-Nov. 27.

"Methodical yet intuitive, this body of work, stemming from a self-created system, displays the artist's signature geometrically abstract shapes of rich and textured surfaces," notes the gallery. "Making his own polymer vinyl paints, Bott's use of this industrial material gives the work an arduous layer, while color and movement give a sense of playfulness that speaks to the inventive nature of the work.

'Candy's Dandy, But…,' 2010

"Throughout his prolific career, Bott has engineered countless combinations of shapes and patterns," the gallery rep adds. "But there has always been an underlying visual system that is based in quadrants, grids, and circles.

"Bott has shown his work in hundreds of exhibitions, ranging from a bus station in Utah in 1952, to major galleries, art centers and museums in New York, Houston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, Dusseldorf and Mexico City."

In comments last year, Bott, now in his late 80s, explained that calling himself a baroque minimalist "is not a contradiction of terms." The artists noted that the concept goes back to his early days as a young artist "exploring techniques, materials, color, light, textures, and themes, always steeped in political rants."

He said the work ultimately about "making marks, most specifically about our disregard of environmental damages to air, water and the planet."

Art + Entertainment
Reyna Group Owner Leads Real Estate Market with Passion and Excellence

MICHELLE REYNA WYMES, a distinguished name in the Houston real estate market, is the owner of the successful boutique brokerage, Reyna Group. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Michelle has deep-rooted connections to the community she serves with dedication and pride.

Keep Reading Show less

Inside Buttermilk Baby (photo by Kirsten Gilliam)

NOSTALGIA RUNS HIGH at new Buttermilk Baby in M-K-T Heights, where classic Carvel ice cream treats — a rarity in restaurants — are paired with a menu of buttermilk biscuits, chicken sandwiches and burgers.

Keep Reading Show less
Food

Molina and Thirumalaisamy

A PROJECT FROM Rice University's Moody Center for the Arts, the Tent Series is a public-art exhibit erected in the heart of campus on the front of the Provisional Campus Facilities, found on Loop Road. It changes every school year, and this fall, the new art will be unveiled on Sept. 11.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment