Jan Stussy

Jan Stussy (1921–1990)[1] was an American artist, film producer, and professor. He was a professor emeritus from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), he taught there for 42 years.[1][2] He was awarded an Academy Award for the documentary film, Gravity Is My Enemy (1977). Stussy was a prolific painter and printmaker.[2][3]

Jan Stussy
Born
Fredric Grant Stussy, Jr.

(1921-08-13)August 13, 1921
Benton County, Missouri, U.S.
DiedJuly 31, 1990(1990-07-31) (aged 68)
Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other namesFredric Benjamin Stussy, Jr.
EducationLong Beach City College,
ArtCenter College of Design
Alma materUniversity of California, Los Angeles,
University of Southern California
Occupation(s)film producer, painter, printmaker, professor
Spouse(s)Maxine Kim Carlyle (m. 1949–?; divorced)
Children1

Early life and education

Jan Stussy was born on August 13, 1921, in Benton County, Missouri.[4] While he was young, his family moved to Bellflower, California.[1] He attended Excelsior High School, graduating in 1939.[1]

Stussy attended classes at Long Beach City College, and the Art Center (now the ArtCenter College of Design), under Barse Miller.[1][5] At the University of California, Los Angeles he obtained a B.F.A. degree in 1943, and studied under George J. Cox.[1][5] He served as a Naval Intelligence officer during World War II.[1] After his military service, he attended the University of Southern California (USC) and obtained a M.F.A. degree in 1953.[1] Stussy had studied lithography with Lynton Richards Kistler and Joe Funk,[6] and painting and drawing at USC with Francis de Erdely, and Stanton Macdonald-Wright.[5][6]

Stussy was married to artist Maxine Kim (née Carlyle) in 1949, they met while working as teaching assistants at UCLA.[7] Together they had one child, however the marriage ended in divorce.[8]

Career

He was elected as vice-president of the California Water Color Society in 1950.[5]

Stussy taught visual arts at the University of California, Los Angeles, from 1942 until 1989.[2] He also taught at the UCLA Extension, from 1957 to 1980.[2]

In 1977, Stussy co-produced the documentary Gravity Is My Enemy with John C. Joseph. The film portrays one of Stussy's art students, Mark Hicks, who has been paralyzed since a childhood accident and paints and draws by holding tools between his teeth. Both producers received an Academy Award in 1978 at the 50th Academy Awards in the Best Documentary Short Film category.[9]

Death and legacy

He died on July 31, 1990, in Brentwood, West Los Angeles of a brain tumor.[8]

Stussy's work is found in public museum collections including the National Gallery of Art,[10] Smithsonian American Art Museum,[11] Los Angeles County Museum of Art,[5] Norton Simon Museum,[12] Amon Carter Museum of American Art,[13] Museum of Modern Art,[14] Oakland Museum of California,[15] Hammer Museum,[16] and Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.[6]

References
  1. Amato, Sam; Elgart, Elliot (2009). "Jan Stussy, Art: Los Angeles, 1921-1990, Professor Emeritus". Online Archive of California. Regents of The University of California. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  2. Folkart, Burt A. (1990-08-05). "Jan Stussy; Multimedia Artist, 1st Full UCLA Art Professor". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  3. "William Wilson on Jan Stussy". Artforum.com. March 1965. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  4. "A Finding Aid to the Jan Stussy papers, 1955-1985". Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  5. "Jan Stussy". LACMA Collections. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  6. "Jan Stussy". FAMSF Search the Collections. 2018-09-21. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  7. "Maxine Kim Frankel Obituary (2020) Los Angeles Times". Legacy.com. Los Angeles Times. May 3, 2020. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  8. "Jan Stussy, Artist, 68". The New York Times. 1990-08-02. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  9. "1977 (50th) Academy Awards, Documentary (Short Subject), Gravity Is My Enemy". Academy Awards Acceptance Speeches, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  10. "Artist Info, Jan Stussy". National Gallery of Art (NGA). Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  11. "Jan Stussy". Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM). Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  12. "Jan Stussy". Norton Simon Museum. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  13. "Jan Stussy". CarterMuseum.org. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  14. "Jan Stussy". The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  15. "Jan Stussy". Oakland Museum of California, OMCA. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  16. "Family of Acrobatic Jugglers". Hammer Museum. Retrieved 2021-08-20.

Further reading
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