Rago Auctions

In the 1990s and 2000s, James Jarvaise continued to explore and refine his collage methodology using oils, cloth, and black cement on canvas. In this series, Jarvaise tests the boundaries of the picture plane, layering a dense range of abstracted patterns atop one another to illustrate a compressed space. In this work, Le spectre et deux bouteilles, Jarvaise explores the relationship with the imbibing of spirits — cognac was his favorite — and past ghosts.