Narsiso Martinez's “The Good Checker” Acquired By The Hammer Museum - Gift Of Richard Buckley

Narsiso Martinez, The Good Checker, Ink, gouache, and charcoal, on produce boxes, 47 x 43 Inches 2021

Charlie James Gallery is delighted to announce the acquisition of Narsiso Martinez's The Good Checker by the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. Special thanks to Connie Butler for her support of Narsiso and his work, and to the late Richard Buckley for his generosity in placing the work with the Hammer.

 Words from the artist about The Good Checker:

 "In my art, I pay homage to the farm workers who contribute to the food supply of this country, and The Good Checker is no exception. Checkers keep track of the quality and the quantity of the produce a worker can pick. From my experiences as a fruit picker, I remember being frustrated with some of the checkers. They can make the life of the picker miserable to the point of resignation. I learned that many of my coworkers shared the same sentiment, and during our discussions we agreed that checkers were in general mean and this was, we speculated, because they had no experience picking fruit and enjoyed exerting power over the pickers. I concluded that sadly checkers along with many foremen have no training on how to manage people, hence their cruelty. At first, I thought of painting a rather somber portrait of a checker, but I also thought that checkers in general work hard and not all of them are “bad”. As a result, I focused on the positive and created this sort of sacred almost religious in mood portrait, honoring their presence on the front lines of our food supply."

Narsiso Martinez (b. 1977, Oaxaca, Mexico) came to the United States when he was 20 years old. He attended Evans Community Adult School and completed high school in 2006 at the age of 29. He earned an Associate of Arts degree in 2009 from Los Angeles City College. In the fall of 2012 Narsiso earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from California State University Long Beach. In the spring of 2018 he received a Master of Fine Arts degree in drawing and painting from California State University Long Beach, and was awarded the prestigious Dedalus Foundation MFA Fellowship in Painting and Sculpture. His work has been exhibited both locally and internationally. Martinez lives and works in Long Beach, California.