Inlroduction This publication accompanies the exhibition James Castle:House Drawinp;s,a project conceived of and developed by guest curator Jay Tobler. It is a great honor for The Drawing Center to present the work of an artist who demonstrated such a remarkable and unique devotion to drawing. From an early age, Castle made drawing his primary mode of expression, and his commitment to the medium is matched by an unwavering fascination with documentinpl domestic life. For subject matter he turned to the immediate surroundings of his native Idaho-the various homes he lived in, neighboring domestic structures and farms, and everyday objects-all rendered with relentless honesty. Conversely, other works are whimsical, as with the drawings of herringbone-patterned exteriors, polka-dotted interiors, and candy-colored "dream houses."Castle'sbrilliant deployment of found paper paralleled tlre practice of other more well-known twentieth-century artists, and yet it is highly unlikely that he was aware of these contemporaneous investigations. Rather, Castle, with a rare economy of means, brought simple materials to simple subjects, creating an art that was noneth e l e s sc o mp l e x a n d mu l ti v a lent. This exhibition is in keeping with The Drawing Center's mission to bring to the public's attention understudied bodies of work. It is Jay Tobler who introduced the Center to Castle's dr awi n g s a n d th i s p ro j e c t w o u l d n ot have been possi bl e w i thout hi s excepti onal curatori al vision. Jay is tr longtime champion of Castle'sart and a great believer in its art-historical validity and significance. I am indebted to Jay for so wholeheartedly sharing his knowledge of Cas tl e w i th th e C e n te r. I w i s h to acknow l edge as w el l the assi stanceand connsel provi ded by J a y ' s w i fe J u l i a J o e rn . F o r h er expert contri buti on to the i nstal l ati on desi gn, I thank Lis a Ma h a r. The Center is especially indebted to the private collectors whose great !lenerosityhas allowed therr to temporarily part with their cherished views of Castle'sworld. In tl-ris respect, I thank Eric Barnes, Helen and Jack Bershad, Christopher Binion, Jill and Sheldon B onov i tz , A n n e B o ra , N a n c y a n d R obert C l aster,Jacquel i neand C harl es C ri st, D eborah and Rober t C u m m i n s , El i s a b e th C u n n i ck and P eter Freeman, N oel l e and C harl es Fahl en, R ober t Greenberg, Flora and Adam Hanft, Anne Stroud Hannum, Thomas Isenberg, Barbara and Leslie Kaplan, Mark Kieckbusch, Patricia Martin and Stefan Fredrick, Ann and John Ollman, Jay Potter, Selig Sacks, Harvey Tblcensky, Mary Ellen Vehlow and Stephen Hessler, Judie and Bennett Weinstock, Robert Weinstock, Nancy and Michael Yecies,Alice Yelen and Kurt Gitter, and S tu a rt Z w e i b e l . l n a d d i ti o n , w e w i sh to acknow l edge the many contri buti ons of Jacqueline Crist and Kristine Dunnigan at the j. Crist Gallery in Boise, and John Ollman and Car r ie C o l e ma n a t th e F l e i s h e r/O l l man Gal l ery i n P hi l adel phi a. This exhibition was achieved throueh the committed teamwork of each member of The Drawing Center's stafl. In particular, I thank Elizabeth Finch, curator, for llringing this project to rny attention and frrr shepherding it through the organizational process, and Allison Plastridge,registrar and curatorial assistant,who intelligently orchestrated many of the details. Finally, I want to express rny appreciation of the anonymous donors whose financial assistance allowed trs to realize this project. Their enthusiasm for Castle'svision has been an ins pir a ti o n .
Cer uu n rn n u u Z u c u rn Dircclor