Jeremy Blake
Encyclopedia
Jeremy Blake was an American
digital artist and painter
. His work included projected DVD installations, Type C print
s, and collaborative film projects.
(MFA 95), he was selected for the Whitney Biennial
in 2000, 2002 and 2004. His "Winchester" series, inspired by the story of Sarah Winchester and the Winchester Mystery House
, was shown at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
in 2005. He also was selected to participate in the Renaissance Society group exhibition, "All the Pretty Corpses", in 2005.
Blake also created the painted abstract hallucination scenes in the 2002 Paul Thomas Anderson
film Punch Drunk Love, and contributed artwork and video for Beck
's album Sea Change. Blake was also involved in creating and commissioning a soundtrack album called The Forty Million Dollar Beatnik with Neil Landstrumm and Mike Fellows in 2000 on Scandinavia Records and Pork Salad Press to accompany an LA drawings/script show by Blake of the same title.
His work is held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art
and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
.
and pioneering video game creator Theresa Duncan
. In February 2007, the couple moved from Los Angeles
to New York City
, and resided in the East Village
. He was also the son of Anne Schwartz Delibert and the brother of Adrienne Morningstar Delibert.
. On July 17, 2007, Blake was reported missing off New York's Rockaway Beach
. According to news accounts, a woman called 911 to report that she saw a man walking out into the ocean. Blake's clothes and wallet were reportedly found along with a suicide note that referred to Duncan.
According to statements by acquaintances of the couple that have appeared in published reports (including an article in the January 2008 Vanity Fair), Blake said that he and Duncan were being followed and harassed by Scientologists
prior to his disappearance. Blake also included his allegations of harassment by Scientologists and others in a 27-page "chronicle" he prepared for a lawsuit he planned to file.
The couple was posthumously profiled in the September 10, 2007 issue of Newsweek
.
s Page Six reported that Bret Easton Ellis
is writing a screenplay about Duncan and Blake. Director Gus Van Sant
has signed on as a consultant for the movie, which is being produced by Braxton Pope and Andrew Weiner of Ithaka films along with Lionsgate.
The Law & Order
episode "Bogeyman" in season 18 is loosely based on the deaths of Duncan and Blake. In the episode, the body of the character paralleling Theresa Duncan has forensic evidence that calls into question her suicide, while the Jeremy Blake parallel character survives his suicide attempt. A case against him is disrupted by the cult group Systemotics, resulting in a near mistrial followed by a plea accepted after the ADA implies both he and the judge are connected to Systemotics.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
digital artist and painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
. His work included projected DVD installations, Type C print
Type C print
Chromogenic color prints are full-color photographic prints made using chromogenic materials and processes. These prints may be produced from an original which is a color negative, slide, or digital image. The chromogenic print process, was nearly synonymous with the 20th century color snapshot...
s, and collaborative film projects.
Biography
A graduate of the both School of the Art Institute of Chicago (BFA '93) and (California Institute of the ArtsCalifornia Institute of the Arts
The California Institute of the Arts, commonly referred to as CalArts, is located in Valencia, in Los Angeles County, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the United States created specifically for students of both the visual and the...
(MFA 95), he was selected for the Whitney Biennial
Whitney Biennial
The Whitney Biennial is a biennale exhibition of contemporary American art, typically by young and lesser known artists, on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, USA. The event began as an annual exhibition in 1932, the first biennial was in 1973...
in 2000, 2002 and 2004. His "Winchester" series, inspired by the story of Sarah Winchester and the Winchester Mystery House
Winchester Mystery House
The Winchester Mystery House is a well-known mansion in California. It once was the personal residence of Sarah Winchester, the widow of gun magnate William Wirt Winchester. It was continuously under construction for 38 years and is reported to be haunted. It now serves as a tourist attraction...
, was shown at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art...
in 2005. He also was selected to participate in the Renaissance Society group exhibition, "All the Pretty Corpses", in 2005.
Blake also created the painted abstract hallucination scenes in the 2002 Paul Thomas Anderson
Paul Thomas Anderson
Paul Thomas Anderson is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He has written and directed five feature films: Hard Eight , Boogie Nights , Magnolia , Punch-Drunk Love and There Will Be Blood...
film Punch Drunk Love, and contributed artwork and video for Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
's album Sea Change. Blake was also involved in creating and commissioning a soundtrack album called The Forty Million Dollar Beatnik with Neil Landstrumm and Mike Fellows in 2000 on Scandinavia Records and Pork Salad Press to accompany an LA drawings/script show by Blake of the same title.
His work is held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art...
.
Personal life
Blake was the boyfriend of filmmaker, cultural criticCultural critic
A cultural critic is a critic of a given culture, usually as a whole and typically on a radical basis. There is significant overlap with social and cultural theory.-Terminology:...
and pioneering video game creator Theresa Duncan
Theresa Duncan
Theresa Duncan was an American game designer, blogger, filmmaker and critic.- Life :Theresa Lee Duncan was born in Lapeer, Michigan, near Detroit to Donnie and Mary Duncan. She had a sister, Deanna and a brother, Scott...
. In February 2007, the couple moved from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and resided in the East Village
East Village, Manhattan
The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, lying east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...
. He was also the son of Anne Schwartz Delibert and the brother of Adrienne Morningstar Delibert.
Death
On July 10, 2007, Blake found Duncan dead in their apartment, the result of suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. On July 17, 2007, Blake was reported missing off New York's Rockaway Beach
Rockaway Beach, Queens
Rockaway Beach is a neighborhood on the Rockaway Peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens. It is located on the South Shore of Long Island. The neighborhood is bounded by Arverne to the east and Rockaway Park to the west...
. According to news accounts, a woman called 911 to report that she saw a man walking out into the ocean. Blake's clothes and wallet were reportedly found along with a suicide note that referred to Duncan.
According to statements by acquaintances of the couple that have appeared in published reports (including an article in the January 2008 Vanity Fair), Blake said that he and Duncan were being followed and harassed by Scientologists
Scientology
Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics...
prior to his disappearance. Blake also included his allegations of harassment by Scientologists and others in a 27-page "chronicle" he prepared for a lawsuit he planned to file.
The couple was posthumously profiled in the September 10, 2007 issue of Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
.
In popular culture
On November 30, 2008 the New York PostNew York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
s Page Six reported that Bret Easton Ellis
Bret Easton Ellis
Bret Easton Ellis is an American novelist and short story writer. His works have been translated into 27 different languages. He was regarded as one of the so-called literary Brat Pack, which also included Tama Janowitz and Jay McInerney...
is writing a screenplay about Duncan and Blake. Director Gus Van Sant
Gus Van Sant
Gus Green Van Sant, Jr. is an American director, screenwriter, painter, photographer, musician, and author. He is a two time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director for his 1997 film Good Will Hunting and his 2008 film Milk, both of which were also nominated for Best Picture, and won the...
has signed on as a consultant for the movie, which is being produced by Braxton Pope and Andrew Weiner of Ithaka films along with Lionsgate.
The Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
episode "Bogeyman" in season 18 is loosely based on the deaths of Duncan and Blake. In the episode, the body of the character paralleling Theresa Duncan has forensic evidence that calls into question her suicide, while the Jeremy Blake parallel character survives his suicide attempt. A case against him is disrupted by the cult group Systemotics, resulting in a near mistrial followed by a plea accepted after the ADA implies both he and the judge are connected to Systemotics.
External links
- Remembrance of Jeremy Blake with clips from various digital works from No Narrative
- Corcoran Gallery of Art detailed bio
- Exhibit Honors Young Artist Whose Star Was Rising NPR, Weekend Edition, October 27, 2007
- 'History of Glamour', a 40-minute film animated by Jeremy Blake and Karen Kilimnik, and written and directed by Theresa Duncan
- Jeremy Blake - Jeremy Blake was represented by KTF Gallery
- Tim Griffin, In Conversation: John Baldessari & Jeremy Blake, ArtForum, March 2004.