Artist

Roger Brown

born Hamilton, AL 1941-died Atlanta, GA 1997
Also known as
  • James Roger Brown
Born
Hamilton, Alabama, United States
Died
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Active in
  • Chicago, Illinois, United States
  • New Buffalo, Michigan, United States
  • Carpenteria, California, United States
Biography

Born in Alabama, Roger Brown became involved with the Chicago Imagists when he was a student at the Art Institute of Chicago in the 1960s. At that time, Chicago had become an alternative art community that attracted artists rebelling against the current art trends of New York City. Rejecting the ideas behind minimalism and conceptualism, the Imagists instead turned to a figurative style to create art that was sometimes violent and often satirical. Brown's influences varied greatly: Edward Hopper, folk art, surrealism, Japanese art, medieval art, and 1940s-era advertisements and cartoons, to name a few. By combining certain elements from each of these inspirations, Brown's paintings become legible and accessible to all viewers. (SAAM curatorial file)

Works by this artist (61 items)

James Castle, Untitled, ca. 1952, found paper, soot, and color of unknown origin, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Castle Collection and Archive and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2013.27.47
Untitled
Dateca. 1952
found paper, soot, and color of unknown origin
On view
James Castle, Untitled, ca. 1931-1977, found paper and soot, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Castle Collection and Archive and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment

, 2013.27.30
Untitled
Dateca. 1931-1977
found paper and soot
On view
James Castle, Untitled, ca. 1931-1977, found paper and soot, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Castle Collection and Archive and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2013.27.27
Untitled
Dateca. 1931-1977
found paper and soot
On view
James Castle, Untitled, ca. 1931-1977, found paper and soot, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Castle Collection and Archive and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2013.27.29
Untitled
Dateca. 1931-1977
found paper and soot
Not on view

Exhibitions

Media - 1979.53.34 - SAAM-1979.53.34_2 - 134744
Made in Chicago: The Koffler Collection
August 12, 2011March 4, 2012
Made in Chicago: The Koffler Collection features twenty-five paintings, sculpture, and works on paper from 1960 to 1980, including works by Roger Brown, Leon Golub, Theodore Halkin, Vera Klement, Ellen Lanyon, Jim Nutt, Ed Paschke, Barry Tinsley, and Ray