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YOU DON’T KNOW BEANS (AND CHILI) ABOUT JACK (BROGAN) by Jan Taylor I recall meeting Jack Brogan in a little Irish pub in West LA around 2005. It was artist John Eden who invited me to attend a regular meeting of the “Irish Liars Club” to which Jack was a participant, along with Eden, Kelly Hames and others. The Irish Liars Club was an excuse for these guys to get together and drink and BS. So I really did not know what to expect when I was introduced to Jack. I was a little nervous about spending time with him, mostly due to his mythical status as a collaborator, fabricator and advisor to the endless list of highly relevant Blue Chip artists that he had worked with over his many decades of practice. So there was Jack Brogan, a tall and lanky man who could have easily been in the movies with his style and good looks. Wearing jeans that had a crease pressed into them, a western shirt, cowboy boots and a western belt. I found his manner and cadence of speech very Southern and gentlemanly, thoughtful and measured. Most of the conversation revolved around ordinary things like food, cars and alcohol. He asked me what I had been doing lately and I told him I had been restoring an old Porsche 914 for my daughter. His eyes lit up and he told me about the restoration he had done on an old Lotus Europa. It became a very pleasant experience to compare restoration war stories and notes with him. Mostly I was taken with his gentle and elegant presence in a very Southern way.
He invited me to visit his workshop and I jumped at the opportunity. I arrived there in the afternoon and the first thing I saw was an enormous Henry Moore massive and damaged stone sculpture undergoing restoration and repair. Jack explained that the attachment points between the stones had deteriorated and needed to be replaced. I listened intently to his plan and the technical steps involved. I was blown away with his knowledge and ability to articulate what needed to be done. He kept things simple so I could understand exactly what he planned to do. Some years later, John Eden invited me to a show at the Katherine Cone Gallery near Blum and Poe in Culver City, entitled “You Don’t Know Jack." Again, he proved to be a gentleman. He was warm and friendly and I was overwhelmed at the quantity and quality of the work that Jack owned and had acquired over the years. He had bottles of Jack Daniels rebranded as "Jack Brogan" for the attendees to drink. In the corner was a stereo speaker from the “Easy Edges Period” in which Frank Gehry and Jack collaborated on corrugated cardboard-based furniture. The speaker was playing Miles Davis as I recall. The work at the show was incredible. The early Robert Irwin obelisk was just stunning. A few years later, I opened up the Paul Williams Gallery in the old Paul Williams designed Post Office in Ontario, CA, a kind of boutique gallery in the outskirts of LA. I began to show the work of some friends and new acquaintances with regularity. To my surprise, Jack and his wife artist Edith Baumann would show up to support the artists and my space. I was delighted to have Jack and Edith come out and socialize at the gallery. The regulars at my gallery provided input and guidance to help me develop my program and the “look” of the architecturally significant gallery. I would always sit with Edith and Jack in the back lounge, and chat about various subjects and ideas, but the subject of chili was the one that Jack and I would discuss most of all. We both love chili making. Tweaking the recipe, pondering the levels of heat and mostly just enjoying a bowl of the red. So in deference, I wish to present a recipe for “Jack Brogan Chili," which is as follows: JACK BROGAN CHILI Preparation time: 48 hours and 20 minutes Ingredients:
Garnish with green onions, Mexican cheese and sour cream. ___________________
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