Westwood Gallery is pleased to present “James Juthstrom (1925-2007) Paintings from the 1960s and 1970s”. Juthstrom was a dedicated artist who lived and worked in a SoHo loft for 50 years creating paintings, drawings, etchings, and sculpture ranging from abstract to figurative.

Juthstrom’s paintings from the 1960s represent his transition from representational to an intricate abstract expressionist style. Fire Escape on Broome Street details the exterior of his SoHo loft, complete with iron ladders, swirling chutes and meandering pipes as seen through the eyes of the artist. His fascination with color and structure is apparent with his bold use of oranges and reds within a cryptic, map-like composition.

The 1970s became an era of cosmic mysticism when Juthstrom began his circular spatial paintings. Juthstrom’s paintings reflect his fascination with the cosmos, mathematical formulas and biology, combined with personal anguish in his passion for art. This fascination led him to create his own elliptical stretchers to enhance the nature of his cosmic interest. Flight of Icarus leads the viewer into not only the shape of the canvas but deeper into the rings that unfold as the viewer steps closer.

Juthstrom was recognized by critics early on and included in numerous museum group exhibitions, including Whitney Museum of American Art, The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Detroit Institute of the Arts and Brooklyn Museum. He also had several solo exhibitions at galleries, including Gallery G in New York, which received a review in the New York Times, Paul Schuster Art Gallery in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Landmark Gallery in New York. A recent ARTnews review chronicles the rediscovery of this reclusive artist who moved within the circle of New York School artists and abstract expressionists.

The artist died in May 2007, leaving behind a legacy of his lifetime dedication. Since the release of his estate collection in the fall of 2008, museums and collectors are reviewing the artwork for acquisition and discovering the history of this brilliant artist. Westwood Gallery exclusively represents the artwork from the Estate of James Juthstrom (1925-2007).