4520 BLOSSOM STREET HOUSTON TEXAS 77007 713.863.7097
Joseph Havel
all nouns become verbs
1 March - 26 April 2025
Opening reception
Saturday 1 March
11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
This exhibition features drawings and sculpture in dialogue with one another, foregrounding drawing as a rigorous and consistent aspect of the artist’s studio production over three decades (1993-2022). In contrast to the singularity and uniqueness that characterize his sculptures (which are painstakingly fabricated in collaboration with a foundry), Havel’s drawings are often executed serially and emphasize the performative aspect of their making.
Each of the gallery’s three spaces pairs a single sculpture with a series of drawings and includes rarely seen works—many of which are exhibited for the first time here. Pairing drawings that were made years apart from the sculptures that they are shown with, this exhibition seeks to highlight through lines among the artist’s seemingly diverse bodies of work. In addition to emphasizing Havel’s deeply rooted visual sensibility, these pairings also make clear that action and movement are ever-present in his work—whether in gestural passages on paper or in cast bronze works that appear to defy gravity.
Joseph Havel
Pollen, 1993
Bronze with patina
70 x 48 x 80 in (177.8 x 121.9 x 203.2 cm)
JPHB 6356
Joseph Havel
Blue Collars, 2007
Bronze with patina
28 x 27 x 6 1/4 in (71.1 x 68.6 x 15.9 cm)
JPHB 6381
Joseph Havel
Untitled, 1994
Charcoal and graphite on paper
45 1/4 x 42 1/4 in (114.9 x 107.3 cm)
JPHB 4035
Joseph Havel
Untitled, 1994
Charcoal and graphite on paper
44 1/4 x 42 1/4 in (112.4 x 107.3 cm)
JPHB 4034
Joseph Havel
The Stain, 2005
Ink on parchment paper
17 x 14 in (43.2 x 35.6 cm) each
Detail, from a series of 47 drawings
JPHB 6374
Joseph Havel
The Stain, 2005
Ink on parchment paper
17 x 14 in (43.2 x 35.6 cm) each
Detail, from a series of 47 drawings
JPHB 6374
Joseph Havel
Crumbled, 2022
Bronze with patina
35 x 18 x 20 in (88.9 x 45.7 x 50.8 cm)
JPHB 6360
Joseph Havel
Kauai, 1998-2002
Oil pastel and oil stick on paper
11 x 8 1/2 in (27.9 x 21.6 cm) each
JPHB 6375
Joseph Havel
Wash (King Size Bed Sheet), 2005
Bronze with patina
101 x 95 x 30 in (256.5 x 241.3 x 76.2 cm)
JPHB 077
Joseph Havel
Wash (King Size Bed Sheet), 2005
Bronze with patina
101 x 95 x 30 in (256.5 x 241.3 x 76.2 cm)
JPHB 077
Joseph Havel
Summer, 2020
Oil stick, charcoal, and graphite on two sheets of paper
60 x 102 in (152.4 x 259.1 cm)
JPHB 4734
Joseph Havel
Summer, 2020
Oil stick, charcoal, and graphite on two sheets of paper
60 x 100 in (152.4 x 254 cm)
JPHB 6376
Joseph Havel
Summer, 2020
Oil stick, charcoal, and graphite on two sheets of paper
60 x 100 in (152.4 x 254 cm)
JPHB 6378
Joseph Havel
Summer, 2020
Oil stick, charcoal, and graphite on two sheets of paper
60 x 100 in (152.4 x 254 cm)
JPHB 6377
Joseph Havel
Summer, 2020
Oil stick, charcoal, and graphite on two sheets of paper
60 1/4 x 100 1/4 in (153 x 254.6 cm)
JPHB 6379
