Scott Eder Gallery is pleased to present "Jack Davis: Drawing American Pop Culture." In person, in his first solo exhibition at the gallery, the iconic artist will present a selection of his ingenious drawings from across his half-century-long career. Included are watercolors used on the cover of Time and TV Guide; comic book pages from MAD, Davis' famously gnarled football illustrations; and a rogue's gallery of cowboys, hunters and frustrated politicians, plus a surprise or two from his classic, Bill Gaines-era, 1950s EC Comics The Crypt of Terror, and Two-Fisted Tales. This exhibition offers a rare glimpse into the process and career trajectory one of America's greatest visual commentators.

Presented in conjunction with The Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival (Dec. 3rd)
Opening reception: Friday, December 2, 6 -9 pm.
The artist will be in attendance.

New! See photos from the opening party!

[ view all Jack Davis art available for sale ]

Jack Davis show
"Drawing American
Pop Culture"
Dec. 2, 2011 - Jan. 19, 2012

Jack Davis arrived on the illustration scene in the euphoric post-war America of the late 1940s when consumer society was booming and the workforce identified with commercial images that reflected this underlying sense of confidence and American bravado. Advertising agencies were looking for new ways to tap a rich and expanding market, and there was a vast array of media that needed illustrations. Davis' animated and exuberant images possessed a sense of spontaneous energy that proved to have universal appeal in every medium he worked in.

Beginning with his masterful pen and ink cartooning at EC Comics, he quickly forged a reputation as one of the most versatile artists in comics, drawing humor, horror, and war stories. In Harvey Kurtzman's MAD, especially, Davis made a mark as a master of caricature, composition, and wild, anarchic crowd scenes, practically vibrating with energy. After stints at MAD, Trump, and Humbug - three humor magazines that defined the satirical zeitgeist of the '50s - Davis went on to become one the most successful commercial illustrators of his generation, creating movie posters, magazine articles, magazine fiction, LP jackets, and more. He is the subject of a new monograph, Jack Davis: Drawing American Pop Culture (Fantagraphics, 2011).