Roger Brown

(American, 1941-1997)

The Jim and Tammy Show, 1987

lithograph in colors

signed, dated, and numbered 24/50 in white pencil

Sheet: 21 7/8 x 32 3/8 inches.

Property from the Collection of Gregory Brown

This lot is located in Chicago.

Provenance:

The Artist

Thence by descent to the current owner

Lot Note:

The Jim and Tammy Show is Brown’s criticism of televangelism. Brown depicts Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, prominent contemporary televangelists, emerging from a hypnotic glow in the center. The couple confronts the viewer, eerily wide-eyed, as if to invite them along on their agenda. Gregory Brown outlines the Bakkers’ selfish scheme: “They always preached to the poor and needy, taking their money and promising the rewards of eternal life.” That money funded their own materialistic, earthly priorities.

In his print, Roger exposes the selfishness and corruption of televangelism, extracting it from its philanthropic guise. Gregory Brown describes Roger's print as a visual manifestation of the phrase “pie in the sky,” used to describe the Bakkers’ false promises to the American public. The couple is submerged in the artist’s signature geometric sky, looking down on the viewer, evoking an air of suspicion.

We would like to thank Gregory Brown for his contribution to the cataloguing of this lot.

Roger Brown (American, 1941-1997)

The Jim and Tammy Show, 1987