Jim Dine American 1935-

We celebrated Valentines Day inspired by the work of American Painter, Print maker, Sculptor, Poet, Conceptual and Performance Artist, Jim Dine. He was born into a family of second generation immigrates from Eastern Europe that owned a hardware store in Cinncinati. His lifelong fascination with tools is evident in many prints and sculptures, making his work very personal, biographical from the "heart", literally **. He first earned respect in the art world with " Happenings " that he pioneered with artists Claes Oldenburg and Allan Kaprow, in conjunction with musician John Cage. The chaotic performance art was a stark contrast with the more somber mood of the expressionists popular in the New York art world at that time. He went on to become one of the founders of the Pop Art movement which fundamentally altered the nature of modern art. Dine believed that the objects that comprised his everyday life and his visual world had a distinct power, rooted in their ability to be immediately recognizable. He chose a series of personal objects like tools, bathrobes, and hearts to define most of his work. Dine's is in numerous public collections including the British Museum, London, the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Museum of Modern Art, New York. ** The Blue Heart Sculpture pictured in the photos below is on the University of Washington campus in Seattle