JB Blunk: Earth, Water, and Fire: Online
September 19 – December 29, 2024
  • Photo: Sylvie Becquet

  • “I’d like to show the people…this material and way of using just earth, water, and fire.” —JB Blunk
  • On the occasion of the artist's first European retrospective JB Blunk: Continuum, on view at Fondation d’entreprise Martell in France through December 29, Kasmin presents a selection of work from the JB Blunk Estate. Staged exclusively online, the presentation underscores Blunk’s singular style and proclivity toward ancestral forms of expression at both intimate and monumental scale.
  • JB Blunk Presence, 1969-1972 carved eucalyptus 85 x 22 x 20 inches 215.9 x 55.9 x 50.8 cm
    JB Blunk
    Presence, 1969-1972
    carved eucalyptus
    85 x 22 x 20 inches
    215.9 x 55.9 x 50.8 cm
    Inquire
  • JB Blunk Untitled, 1991 wood and stone 25 x 9 x 8 inches 63.5 x 22.9 x 20.3 cm
    JB Blunk
    Untitled, 1991
    wood and stone
    25 x 9 x 8 inches
    63.5 x 22.9 x 20.3 cm
    Inquire
  • JB Blunk Mr. Peanut, 1973-76 carved redwood and bishop pine 52 x 43 x 29 inches (overall) 132.1 x 109.2...
    JB Blunk
    Mr. Peanut, 1973-76
    carved redwood and bishop pine
    52 x 43 x 29 inches (overall)
    132.1 x 109.2 x 73.7 cm
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  • JB Blunk Untitled, c. 1975- 1980 ceramic 7 3/4 x 7 3/4 x 3/4 inches 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.9...
    JB Blunk
    Untitled, c. 1975- 1980
    ceramic
    7 3/4 x 7 3/4 x 3/4 inches
    19.7 x 19.7 x 1.9 cm
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    • JB Blunk, Untitled, c. 1975
      JB Blunk, Untitled, c. 1975
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    • JB Blunk, Untitled, c. 1980
      JB Blunk, Untitled, c. 1980
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    • JB Blunk, Untitled, 1990
      JB Blunk, Untitled, 1990
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  • JB Blunk Untitled, c. 1970 acrylic on wood 20 1/2 x 20 1/2 x 3 inches 52.1 x 52.1 x...
    JB Blunk
    Untitled, c. 1970
    acrylic on wood
    20 1/2 x 20 1/2 x 3 inches
    52.1 x 52.1 x 7.6 cm
    Inquire
  • JB Blunk Untitled, c. 1990 acrylic on illustration board 16 1/2 x 11 1/2 inches 41.9 x 29.2 cm
    JB Blunk
    Untitled, c. 1990
    acrylic on illustration board
    16 1/2 x 11 1/2 inches
    41.9 x 29.2 cm
    Inquire
  • JB Blunk Untitled, c. 1990 river stone 5 1/2 x 23 x 5 1/2 inches 14 x 58.4 x 14...
    JB Blunk
    Untitled, c. 1990
    river stone
    5 1/2 x 23 x 5 1/2 inches
    14 x 58.4 x 14 cm
    Inquire
  • 'Blunk already understood that there is no sensible distinction between art, design, craft, and the natural contexts from which they...
    Blunk House, Inverness, CA. Photo: Leslie Williamson.
    "Blunk already understood that there is no sensible distinction between art, design, craft, and the natural contexts from which they emerge, in which he lived and worked."
    —Lucy R. Lippard
  • JB Blunk Untitled, 1972 acrylic and sawdust on handmade rice paper 25 x 38 inches 63.5 x 96.5 cm
    JB Blunk
    Untitled, 1972
    acrylic and sawdust on handmade rice paper
    25 x 38 inches
    63.5 x 96.5 cm
    Inquire
    • JB Blunk, Untitled, c. 1975-1980
      JB Blunk, Untitled, c. 1975-1980
      Inquire
    • JB Blunk, Untitled, c. 1976
      JB Blunk, Untitled, c. 1976
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    • JB Blunk, Untitled, c. 1985
      JB Blunk, Untitled, c. 1985
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  • JB Blunk Untitled, c. 1990 ceramic 1 x 6 1/4 x 6 1/4 inches 2.5 x 15.9 x 15.9 cm
    JB Blunk
    Untitled, c. 1990
    ceramic
    1 x 6 1/4 x 6 1/4 inches
    2.5 x 15.9 x 15.9 cm
    Inquire
    • JB Blunk, Untitled, c. 1990
      JB Blunk, Untitled, c. 1990
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    • JB Blunk, Untitled, c. 1990
      JB Blunk, Untitled, c. 1990
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    • JB Blunk, Untitled, c. 1980s
      JB Blunk, Untitled, c. 1980s
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  • JB Blunk Untitled, c. 1975-1980 ceramic 7 1/2 x 7 x 3/4 inches 19.1 x 17.8 x 1.9 cm
    JB Blunk
    Untitled, c. 1975-1980
    ceramic
    7 1/2 x 7 x 3/4 inches
    19.1 x 17.8 x 1.9 cm
    Inquire

  • "I like to think that the courage and independence JB has shown is typically California, or at least Western, with a continent between to be free from the categories that are called art.…JB does them honour in carving them as he does, finding true art in the working, allowing their ponderous bulk, waking them from their long sleep to become part of our own life and times, sharing with us the afterglow of a land that was once here."
    —Isamu Noguchi

  • JB Blunk Untitled, c. 1970 acrylic and sawdust on paper 36 1/2 x 24 1/2 inches 92.7 x 62.2 cm
    JB Blunk
    Untitled, c. 1970
    acrylic and sawdust on paper
    36 1/2 x 24 1/2 inches
    92.7 x 62.2 cm
    Inquire
  • JB Blunk Untitled, 1971 acrylic on illustration board 16 1/2 x 11 1/2 inches 41.9 x 29.2 cm
    JB Blunk
    Untitled, 1971
    acrylic on illustration board
    16 1/2 x 11 1/2 inches
    41.9 x 29.2 cm
    Inquire
    • JB Blunk, Untitled, c. 1985
      JB Blunk, Untitled, c. 1985
      Inquire
    • JB Blunk, Untitled, c. 1975-1980
      JB Blunk, Untitled, c. 1975-1980
      Inquire
    • JB Blunk, Untitled, c. 1985
      JB Blunk, Untitled, c. 1985
      Inquire
  • Archival images courtesy of the JB Blunk Estate

  • Visit the Retrospective

    JB Blunk: Continuum Fondation d'entreprise Martell 16, Avenue Paul Firino Martell 16100 Cognac, France June 8–December 29, 2024 On view...

    Photo: Sylvie Becquet 

    JB Blunk: Continuum
    Fondation d'entreprise Martell
    16, Avenue Paul Firino Martell
    16100 Cognac, France 
    June 8–December 29, 2024
     

    On view through December 29, 2024, JB Blunk: Continuum presents a selection of over 150 pieces including sculptural works, ceramics, furniture, models, paintings, sketches, and original photographs drawn from both the JB Blunk Estate and private collections illustrates the breadth of his artistic practice, at the intersection of art and craftsmanship. 

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  • The Blunk Shop & Monograph

    This presentation coincides with The Blunk Shop pop-up in Paris in partnership with We Do Not Work Alone (September 7–October...
     

    This presentation coincides with The Blunk Shop pop-up in Paris in partnership with We Do Not Work Alone (September 7–October 20 at 58 rue du Vertbois, 75003 Paris). The pop-up will host the release of both the Continuum exhibition catalog and the fourth edition of the JB Blunk monograph, as well as a special limited edition soy sauce pitcher created by Strasbourg ceramicist Sophie Irwin. The pitcher was selected by Mariah Nelson, JB Blunk's daughter, as a representative piece of her father's work, illustrating the artist's relationship to craftsmanship and his absolute commitment to making everyday objects designed for his own use.

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  • About the Artist

    JB Blunk
    JB Blunk in his studio in Inverness, California, c. 1968

    JB Blunk

    Working primarily in wood and ceramic, JB Blunk developed a distinct style that drew upon the Japanese principle of directness as well as an unfaltering reverence for the natural world, particularly ecology and primordial landscapes. Taking forms from antiquity and mysticism and translating them instinctively through raw, salvaged materials, Blunk produced a body of work that represents an innate expression of, and conversation with, nature. His work is included in the collections of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Museum of Arts and Design, New York; Oakland Museum of California; and M+, Hong Kong, among others.

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