Beyond the Bulldog: Jack Davis

Perhaps best known in Georgia for his depictions of Southeastern Conference mascots tussling, Jack Davis (b. 1924) has had a lengthy career in illustration and cartooning, with an immediately recognizable style and an influence that extends far beyond his home state. Having published his first cartoon at the age of 12, Davis studied with the artist Lamar Dodd in the University of Georgia’s art school, which he attended on the G.I. Bill, and honed his skills drawing for the Red and Black (the student newspaper) and Bullsheet, an Athens humor publication. After graduating, he moved to New York, where he attended the Art Students League before landing work with William Gaines’ EC Comics.

Famed in particular for his speed and a tendency to create images overflowing with colorful characters, he was one of the founding artists of Mad magazine, supplied covers for Time and TV Guide and designed both album covers and movie posters aplenty. Organized by local cartoonist Patrick Dean, this exhibition brought together a selection of Davis’ original art that demonstrates his breadth of subjects and his skills as an artist focusing on American popular culture.