Angels, Demons, and Savages

The artistic relationships among Jackson Pollock (1912-1956), Alfonso Ossorio (1916-1990), and Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985) strongly influenced the development of postwar art. Ossorio, the central figure in the trio, was an early champion of Pollock and the close friend of Dubuffet, whose radically anticultural Art Brut collection was prominently displayed at Ossorio's Hamptons estate. Dubuffet's 1951 essay on Ossorio, published here for the first time in English, demonstrates his admiration for the Filipino-American artist and collector. "Angels, Demons, and Savages" reveals previously unrecognized technical and thematic affinities in the artists' work, from Dubuffet's "raw", unconventional style to Ossorio's use of Christian iconography and grotesque elements to Pollock's emphasis on medium and gestural force. Complete with two original essays and a conservation study, this groundbreaking catalogue shows how the three artists shaped the aesthetic on both sides of the Atlantic through their exchange of ideas and techniques.