For Jim 4-18-98
April 3, 2018
John Egner, 331-B-For Jim 4-18-98
John Egner is well celebrated today as an artist who profoundly impacted the Detroit art scene. He was prominent in the original Cass Corridor movement of the 1960s and 70s, and was a founding member of the Willis Gallery. After graduating in 1966 with an M.F.A. from Yale University, where he studied with Jack Tworkov and Frank Stella, Egner moved to Detroit to teach painting at Wayne State. With his position at WSU and his involvement in the city’s art community, he undoubtedly became a mentor to many Detroit artists.
Egner’s geometric arrangement here foreshadows the sculptural relief works he began making later in his career. This ‘98 design is partly titled "For Jim," most likely referring to the famous Detroit art collector, Jim Duffy, better known as James F. Duffy Jr., with whom Egner and many Cass Corridor artists had a close relationship. Duffy donated a series of these designs by Egner to the Wayne State Univesity Art Collection in 2008.
Written by Danielle Cervera Bidigare