Connor Everts - San Francisco Series

Connor Everts

This lithograph was created in a small edition to advertise an exhibition of Everts' work at the Michael Walls Gallery in San Francisco, in September and October of 1967. The surrealistic image, while suggesting erotica, never truly approaches human sexuality; rather, it appears to grapple with the human psyche, inviting the viewer to inquire further into the artist's intent, as unsettling as it might be.

Connor Everts always pushed the envelope with his work, which tended to be too "graphic" for average American taste but opened up the possibilities for artists across the country to explore sexual and political imagery. Like the work of German Surrealist Hans Bellmer, Everts' work never falls into a distince category, but allows for - requires, really - individual interpretation.

In 1964 police raided and shut down an Everts exhibition at the Zora Gallery in Los Angeles. On display were a series of 9 lithographs titled Studies of Desperation. These works were created in response to the sociopolitical chaos that followed the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Reflecting on the series, the artist said the images were his renderings of someone looking out from the womb and choosing not to be born until the world was a better place.

While these works are now widely recognized as sophisticated works of art that embody the psychic turmoil of the era, at the time, these prints were considered offensive enough to open Everts up to criminal charges. He was arrested and tried for obscenity. The outraged Los Angeles art community rallied behind Everts in support. After a second trial (the first was dismissed in a hung jury) Everts was exonerated. Although he was not convicted, Everts was terminated from his teaching position at Chouinard. Additionaly, a subsequent beating by police caused permanent nerve damage to his drawing hand.