John Evans: Collages

Every day, beginning in 1964, painter John Evans created a college out of found objects ranging from clippings, business cards, product stickers or labels and ticket stubs, to bits of ephemera or anonymous snapshots found on the streets of his East Village neighborhood. Using colored inks, he built upon and embellished the collage elements, creating lively, vibrant compositions. His astonishing work continued through the end of 2000, which seemed an appropriate date to stop. A part from their beauty, Evans collages are minitime capsules that mark the end of the Vietnam war, the fiscal crisis in New York City during the 1970s, the burgeoning economy, club scene and art market of the 1980s, and the Aids crisis. They are also autobiographical, with postcards, snapshots and other connections to Evan’s daily life. The 365 collages selected for this monograph represent one year, but are drawn from different years. They illustrate the full range of Evans’s mastery of his medium and attest to the artist’s self discipline in adhering to the demanding regimen of creating a collage every day.