WATTS INDEXThe canonical database of visual culture

Artists›James Castle

James Castle

1899–1977

WA-00031061

Mixed Media

Representation

None documented

Institutional Exhibitions

Works in Collection

Assets Indexed

Authority-backed Facts

Publications Referenced

70%

Profile Completeness

Cultural Positioning

Influence Graph

No influence edges encoded yet.

Authority Records (2)

WikidataQ1680153

MoMA

Field Verification (3 fields)

3 cross-verified · 0 single-source

Birth yearDuplicate Merge· 85%✓
Death yearDuplicate Merge· 85%✓
Primary mediumDuplicate Merge· 85%✓

Source Registry (1)

MoMA bulk 2026-05-04https://www.moma.org/artists/7963
Tier 1 · Institutional92%

About

Why this artist matters now

James Castle was an American artist who worked primarily in graphite, ink, and found materials, creating intricate drawings and collages on discarded paper and cardboard. Born deaf, he developed a highly personal visual language characterized by densely layered mark-making and an inventive engagement with humble, salvaged substrates. Castle's prolific output, largely created in isolation in Nez Perce, Idaho, remained largely unknown to the broader art world during his lifetime. His work has since been recognized for its singular intensity and material innovation.

Source: Moma Bulk 2026 05 04 · Trust score: 92% · Updated 1mo ago

Graph relationships

Taste overlap and adjacency

Movement

—

Medium

Mixed Media

Related Artists

6 in graph

Institutional

Museum Collections

Museum of Modern ArtNew York Art Institute of Chicago Whitney Museum of American Art

Canonical record

Artworks (42)

WattsOS

(

(Studio)

1957 · Soot and spit on found paper

Sheet: 4 1/4 × 5 1/4 in. (10.8 × 13.3 cm) Image: 4 1/4 × 5 1/4 in. (10.8 × 13.3 cm)

Whitney Museum of American Art

Untitled

1950 · Soot and saliva, applied with sharpened stick and smudging, on found paper

11 × 21.4 cm (4 3/8 × 8 7/16 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Untitled (Philip Morris Book)

1945 · Book of sixteen drawings (including covers) in soot and spit on found paper; bound with string

3 3/8 x 3 1/4" (8.6 x 7.6 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Untitled (Sun Valley Lodge Peas Book)

1940 · Book of ten drawings in soot and spit on found paper; bound with string in found printed cardboard cover

3 3/8 x 3 1/8" (8.6 x 7.6 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Untitled

1935 · Soot and spit on notebook paper

7 7/8 x 10 7/8" (20 x 27.6 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

WattsOS

Untitled

1935 · a: Soot and spit on cardboard

Museum of Modern Art

Untitled

1935 · Soot, spit, paper, and string on cardboard

8 3/8 x 10 5/8" (21.3 x 27 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Untitled

1935 · Crayon on cardboard sewn with string

26 1/2 x 20" (67.3 x 50.8 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Untitled (Chair Construction)

1930 · Corrugated cardboard, soot, spit, ribbon, and string

31 3/4 x 16" (80.6 x 41 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Untitled (Coat Construction)

1925 · Paper, soot, spit, and string

11 1/8 x 6 1/2" (28.3 x 41 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Untitled

1920 · Black and purple crayon over brush and black ink with touches of green ink and opaque white watercolor on a blue-green paper board (discolored to gray-green) with screenprinting, attached with pink ribbon to a brown paper board

29.4 × 17.7 cm (11 5/8 × 7 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Untitled “Window Large Construction”

1920 · Soot mixed with saliva, string, and ribbon on brown and cream found paperboard, pieced

38.7 × 25.4 cm (15 1/4 × 10 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Untitled

1920 · Double-sided drawing of soot and saliva, applied with sharpened stick and smudging, on found card, creased (unfolded box)

13.4 × 18.4 cm (5 5/16 × 7 1/4 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Untitled

1920 · Double-sided drawing of soot and saliva, applied with sharpened stick and smudging, on found card

13.9 × 20.2 cm (5 1/2 × 8 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Untitled (Blonde figure no. 4)

1920 · Soot and saliva, applied with sharpened stick and smudging, with crayon and blue ink, on found paper, folded and wrapped around card

9.9 × 4.8 cm (3 15/16 × 1 15/16 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Untitled

1920 · Soot and saliva, applied with sharpened stick, on found card prepared with colored paper pulp (pulp painting)

12.5 × 17.3 cm (4 15/16 × 6 13/16 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Untitled (Blonde figure no. 2)

1920 · Soot and saliva, applied with sharpened stick and smudging, with crayon and blue ink, on found paper, folded and wrapped around card

11.4 × 5.5 cm (4 1/2 × 2 3/16 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Untitled (Blonde figure no. 3)

1920 · Soot and saliva, applied with sharpened stick and smudging, with crayon and blue ink, on found paper, folded and wrapped around card

10.8 × 5 cm (4 5/16 × 2 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Untitled (recto and verso)

1920 · Soot and saliva, applied with sharpened stick and smudging (recto and verso) on ivory card

20.3 × 25.4 cm (8 × 10 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Untitled (Geese)

1920 · Soot and saliva, applied with sharpened stick and smudging, on found moiré paper

11.6 × 13.9 cm (4 5/8 × 5 1/2 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Untitled (Book)

1920 · Soot and saliva, applied with sharpened stick, on commercially-printed found paper, bound with shoelaces into book

21 × 17.8 cm (8 5/16 × 7 1/16 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Untitled (Blonde figure no. 1)

1920 · Soot and saliva, applied with sharpened stick and smudging, with crayon and blue ink, on found paper, folded and wrapped around card

13.8 × 6.8 cm (5 7/16 × 2 11/16 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

WattsOS

(

(House)

1910 · Soot and spit on found paper

Sheet: 3 × 5 7/8 in. (7.6 × 14.9 cm) Image: 3 × 5 7/8 in. (7.6 × 14.9 cm)

Whitney Museum of American Art

WattsOS

(Black House)

1910 · Color wash on found board

Sheet: 4 7/8 × 6 3/4 in. (12.4 × 17.1 cm) Image: 4 7/8 × 6 3/4 in. (12.4 × 17.1 cm)

Whitney Museum of American Art

View all 42 artworks →

Artwork sources (3)

42 published of 51 catalogued · 30 with image

Whitney
20 published
Art Institute Chicago
13 published13 img
MoMA
9 publishedof 18 catalogued17 img

Record

Images

Artsy

Art Institute of Chicago

Relationships

Collections3

Museum of Modern Art Art Institute of Chicago Whitney Museum of American Art

Institutional

Representation & Collections

In collection

Museum of Modern Art

New York, US

In collection

Art Institute of Chicago

In collection

Whitney Museum of American Art

Record

Exhibitions and timeline

No exhibitions or timeline entries yet