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Meet HJ Bott

Today we’d like to introduce you to HJ (aka Harvey) Bott.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Born 1933, Gill, Colorado. Attended adult life-drawing classes, summers, for five years, Greeley State College, starting age 9; first major exhibit (2-person) at 14, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX. At 15, developed scale model business working with architectural firms. Thereafter began Tri-Coastal & European education at USC, Art Center School of Design, NYU, Columbia, University of Heidelberg AND exhibition adventure; including galleries, art centers and museums in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Houston, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Denver, Köln, Dusseldorf, Mexico City and others. Served in U.S. Army for four years during Korean Conflict, in Germany. Was a San AntonioPolice Officer for 13 months gathering dissertation data.

Worked in Vocational Rehabilitation for four years supporting my art, ultimately receiving a Presidential Citation and numerous other awards for work with handicapped and youth programs. My exhibitions include over 80 solos, 16 solo ROBOTT™ performances, 24 in-situ installations (including 12 deep space/luminescent drawings), more than 730 group survey exhibitions. Over 80 public (museum, city & university) and over 130 corporate collections include the work. Completed 20 government and over 160 private and corporate commissions. First American sculptor to win the “Premier les plus Sculpture,” Prix de Paris, 1965.  Only American to win the “Plastik Reisestipedium/Europa,” (six month traveling grant) “Köln Kunstuerein, Plastik Kunste,” 1956. Invented Tobinite™, a non-toxic plastic that molds like clay with forty viscosity/texture formulas.

Please tell us about your art.
Current studio concentration: painting & reliefs investigating the 24 basic  marks/scribbles found in all cultures; therewith, addressing my on-going concerns with the geometric variables of the Phenomena-of-a-Line tiling processes discovered March 7, 1972 with the Displacement-of-Volume (DoV)™ System Concepts used since then in all work. A strong education advocate of cross disciplinary uses of art/geometry/math/science.

As an artist, how do you define success and what quality or characteristic do you feel is essential to success as an artist?
Success, for me, is the ability to continue producing work addressing the aesthetic issues of the “Phenomena-of-A-line,” therein combining the cross disciplines of art, math and science. I also often wish for my work to address many socio-political issues without being excessively overt/in-your-face.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
Anya Tish Gallery, 4411 Montrose, 713-524-2299

The gallery also has my Monograph, “hj bott, Rhythm and Rhetoric (40 years of the DoV Concepts)” for viewing with usually 6 to 8 paintings in inventory. River Oaks Bookstore also has monograph copies for sale.

Please see my website, www.hjbott.com, to view the extensive exhibition listings across the country and in Germany, Mexico and France; also, a listing of my principle antecedents, favorite artists, sculpture, reliefs and works prior to the 1972 inception of my DoV System Concepts.

Contact Info:

  • Address: 3700 West Clay Street, River Oaks Manor, #235
    Houston, TX 77019-3723
  • Website: www.hjbott.com
  • Phone: 713-582-4127 (wife’s mobile)
  • Email: hj4bott@gmail.com


Image Credit:
Photo by David Gray, standing with artist Richard Stout. I’m explaining the paintings behind us using my hands
Vertical portrait also by David Gray.

Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

1 Comment

  1. Margaret Bott

    September 12, 2018 at 2:30 am

    Love the story on HJ Bott, however there is another artist’s name listed Otis Huband who is totally different than HJ Bott. Will someone delete Me Huband’s name fro Hj Bott’s article.

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