Commune

Lately Allen Jones has been popping up on our radar, and being big fans of his work, we thought it would be a good opportunity to do a post on him. Here is a little crash course.

The early 1960s at the Royal College of Art in London saw the birth of British Pop Art. Allen Jones was among the group of students (including David Hockney, Derek Boshier, and Peter Philipps to name a few others) who challenged the boundaries of British art with their precocious and unconventional works.

In his works, Jones, whom always had an interest in the female figure, was responding to the cultural changes and increased sexuality that arose in the 1960s. “Every Saturday on the Kings Road,” Jones remembers, “you went out and skirts were shorter, the body was being displayed in a new way. And you knew the following week somebody would up the ante.” His works, which fluctuated between painting and sculpture, focus on the female figure as the subject matter, and while Jones hoped to produce a strong reaction in the viewer, he did not expect his work to be a subject of such feminist hostility (on one occasion his show was stink bombed).

Luckily enough someone in the studio happened to have this book, and we were able to sneak a few scans from it.Jones recalls, “I was reflecting and commenting on exactly the same situation that was the source of the feminist movement. It was unfortunate for me that I produced the perfect image for them to show how women were being objectified.”

In 1970, Jones received a call from Stanley Kubrick. He wanted Allen Jones to design the set for the Korova Milk Bar in his upcoming film “A Clockwork Orange.” Jones sketched initial designs for Kubrick, however he ended up turning down the offer, when Kubrick refused to pay him with anything more than credit. The final set in Kubrick’s film is clearly influenced by Allen Jones’ sculptures.

Jones work appears in other unlikely places. Like this poster for the 1972 Munich Olympics…

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