One of the most cliché images of Jack Kerouac; the "beatific, beaten" outsider left an enduring allure for generations of young (at heart) nonconformists.
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Kerouac's box of crayons, decorated by the author. According to John Shen-Sampas, childhood friend, brother-in-law, and guardian of the Kerouac estate after the writer's death, Kerouac dreamed of being a painter much before becoming a writer.
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"Weird Self-Portrait at Sea", undated. During the Second World War, Kerouac skipped military service by working in the merchant marine.
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In 1966, Kerouac was invited to a series of encounters with Italian literary fans and luminaries in Milan, in a period marked by an increasingly reactionary view of ongoing youth rebellions (in part inspired by his own writings) and a struggle with alcoholism that would eventually kill him of cirrhosis in 1969. In this picture, taken at the first reception in Milan, Kerouac collapsed not because of alcohol but from jetlag.
Reproduction
The portrait of Cardinal Montini (on the wall), painted in 1959, was based on a photograph appearing in Life magazine. "What is striking about the portrait, is Kerouac’s interest in this man who would play a central role in the history of Catholicism, who in fact, a few years later, in 1963, became Pope Paul VI. A letter sent by Kerouac to Allen Ginsberg on October 4, 1962 indicates the importance this painting had for Kerouac. In this expressionist
portrait, Jack tried to merge the solemnity of the subject, not unlike the sacred nature of medieval painting, with the emotional and expressive power of the contemporary American painting." (From the book "Kerouac Beat Painting", by Sandrina Bandera, Alessandro Castiglioni, and Emma Zanella).
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"There is a certain exotic and esoteric interest in these visionary subjects, in which an angelic figure, penciled in on the right, seems to dialogue with the mysterious figures with incandescent auras. Kerouac returns here to the visionary theme of angelic figures immersed in an unfathomable landscape, inspired by his mystical, psychotropic trips." (From the book Kerouac Beat Painting, by Sandrina Bandera, Alessandro Castiglioni, and Emma Zanella).
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This painting displays an overall scheme that includes a synthetic, gestural pictorial element accompanied by a short text. Here it is a devotional reference to the Lady of Sorrows of Catholic tradition, who becomes “lovely” in Kerouac’s interpretation.
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The rear of the painting Truman Capote, 1959.
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First page of the manuscript of The Town and the City to be presented to possible publishers. This novel was Kerouac's first published work in 1950.
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What looks like a relic of ancient times is actually the On the Road telex scroll, the only object in this gallery that does not belong to Arminio & Paolo Sciolli. Kerouac's manuscript is part of Jim Irsay's collection. Irsay is the owner of the American football team Indianapolis Colts, and his collection includes historic and iconic artifacts from rock music, American history and pop culture.
Keystone / Christie's New York
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