Jack White (1931-2023)
Jack showed up one evening at Galerie Zygos, on Nikis Street, as a visitor. He was a good looking, composed gentleman, whose demeanor betrayed a man of the world. It was one of these rare moments when I had the luxury of time, and we engaged in a conversation that lasted for quite some time. In the process, he almost timidly told me he was an artist, and showed me the sketchbook that he was carrying along. I was impressed, by the quality of his drawings, the accuracy of his artistic descriptions, the ever-present sensitivity along with an austere abstraction of anything above the necessary. His work showed a familiarity with the city and its scenes that could be mistaken as that of a native Athenian. I told him so and he enjoyed the comment. It was then that he told me that he was spending considerable time in Athens since his wife was the director of New York College, a block away, on Amalias Street. We felt very comfortable with each other and Jack started dropping by whenever his busy schedule allowed him to do so. I cannot remember whether it was that very first time, or a subsequent, when I proposed to him to exhibit those Athens works at the gallery. Due to their small size, I suggested that we would show them at the smaller space, the one I used to call the enteukterion, or the lounge… I pointed to a few works that I definitely wanted to show, and relied on Jack to pick up the rest. Many neighbors and friends of Jack showed up on the opening night and during the show. It was titled “Recent Drawings: Impressions and Observations”, and lasted 2-25 June 2005. That show turned out to be the last exhibition at the gallery at that location. I had to move the art gallery from downtown to another, much larger space, but out of the beaten path, within the Hellenic World complex of buildings on Pireos Street. Jack and I kept in touch and we soon agreed to have a second exhibition, this time of paintings. The show, titled “Jack and the Floppy” included a series of marvelous small-size square paintings, all variations of the floppy-disk, given a second chance through art. Jack was intrigued not only by the shape but also of the former use of that small square which used to store valuable information, worthy of keeping and using time and again.
Jack White obtained his Bachelor of Science (Art/Education) from Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD, in 1958. Between 1987 and 1988 he did his Graduate Study in Museum Studies as an African American Fellow at Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY. He has had a good number of solo exhibitions, including: Munson-Williams-Proctor Museum of Art, Utica, NY (1971); Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY (1974); State University, at Morrisville, NY (1975), Schenectady Museum of Art, Schenectady, NY (1975); James E. Lewis Museum of Art, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD (1975); LeMoyne College, Syracuse, NY (1976); Van Wickle Art Gallery, Lafayette College, Easton, PA (1976); Asheville Art Museum, Asheville, NC (1977); Whittaker Gallery, South Carolina State College, Orangeburg, SC (1977); North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC (1980); LeMoyne - Owen College, Memphis, TN (1980); Colgate University, Hamilton, NY (1980); Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, AR (1982); Southeast Arkansas Art and Science Center, Pine Bluff, AR (1982); Ohio State University; Columbus, OH (1982); Danville Museum of Art, Danville, VA (1987); School 33 Gallery, Baltimore, MD (1990); Manhattan East Gallery, New York, NY (1992); Community Folk Art Gallery, Syracuse, NY (1992); Manhattan East Gallery, New York, NY (1992); Schweinfurth Art Center, Auburn, NY (1995); Watermark/Cargo Gallery, Kingston, NY (1995); Edith Barrett Art Gallery, "A Retrospective", Utica, NY (1996); Tyler Art Gallery, "The Kente Series", SUNY Oswego, NY (1996); Community Folk Art Gallery, Syracuse, NY [Silver Anniversary Exhibition] (1997); James E. Lewis, Museum of Art, Morgan State University, "A Retrospective", Baltimore, MD (1998); Chenango County Council of The Arts, "Ancestral Leanings", Norwich, NY (1999); "Impressions and Observations" Galerie Zygos, Athens, Greece (2005); "Jack and the Floppy" Galerie Zygos, Athens, Greece (2007).
Representation in Public Collections:
Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute Museum, Utica, NY; LeMoyne College, Syracuse, NY, Syracuse Savings Bank Collection, Syracuse, NY; Marine Midland Bank Collection, Syracuse, NY; Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY; University Art Gallery, SUNY, Albany, NY; Gallery of Art, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD; Syracuse University Collections, NY; Schomberg Cultural Center, New York, NY, Metromedia Inc., New York, NY; Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, AR; Atkins Insurance Company, Little Rock, AR; Youngdahl Associates, Little Rock, AR, Channel 16, Little Rock, AR; Colgate University, Hamilton, NY; Paul Lawrence Dunbar Center, Syracuse, NY, Urban League, Syracuse, NY; Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, F; Asheville Museum of Art, Asheville, NC; Bidwell Training Center, Pittsburgh, PA; The Donald T. Byrd Collection, Dover, Delaware
Representation in Public Collections:
Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute Museum, Utica, NY; LeMoyne College, Syracuse, NY, Syracuse Savings Bank Collection, Syracuse, NY; Marine Midland Bank Collection, Syracuse, NY; Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY; University Art Gallery, SUNY, Albany, NY; Gallery of Art, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD; Syracuse University Collections, NY; Schomberg Cultural Center, New York, NY, Metromedia Inc., New York, NY; Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, AR; Atkins Insurance Company, Little Rock, AR; Youngdahl Associates, Little Rock, AR, Channel 16, Little Rock, AR; Colgate University, Hamilton, NY; Paul Lawrence Dunbar Center, Syracuse, NY, Urban League, Syracuse, NY; Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, F; Asheville Museum of Art, Asheville, NC; Bidwell Training Center, Pittsburgh, PA; The Donald T. Byrd Collection, Dover, Delaware
