Education
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Novatt studied literature and sculpture at Sarah Lawrence College before moving to France to study sculpture at the Lacoste School of the Arts (now operated by Savannah College of Art & Design).
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Novatt studied literature and sculpture at Sarah Lawrence College before moving to France to study sculpture at the Lacoste School of the Arts (now operated by Savannah College of Art & Design).
He is best known for his "Chaos" series of works in either welded steel or bronze. Novatt lived and worked in Manhattan until 2002, where he was recognized for his welded and painted steel sculptures and bold, black-and-white collages. He currently resides in Paris France and divides his time among studios in Normandy, New York and the Basque region in Spain.
Novatt’s first solo show was in 1993 at the Tibor de Nagy Gallery.
Novatt’s works are held in numerous public and private collections worldwide. Novatt"s primary motif, “Chaos”, involves constructions of cube-like forms.
Whether the works are created in steel or bronze, the configuration of elements "seems to teeter as if on the point of collapse.” One critic noted: “Novatt searches to capture an instant of equilibrium in unstable and fragile situations, similar to our existential condition, but also to the particular moment that we are living.”
In 2008, Novatt unveiled a series of monumental sculptures entitled Chaos Vascos. The first in the series was part of a solo exhibition at Louisiana Piscine, Musée d"Art et d"Industrie de Roubaix in France where it remains on permanent exhibition at the museum"s entrance.
Chaos Vascos II was selected for the Beyond Limits 2008 Sotheby"s exhibition at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, England.
2009 saw the unveiling of Chaos Mundaka, the third in Novatt"s series of monumental works. Chaos Mundaka I, was exhibited at Alfa Arte in Spain before being permanently installed in front of the Savannah College of Art and Design, Atlanta Georgia, in October 2009. Chaos Mundaka II, became part of Sotheby"s 2009 edition of Beyond Limits at Chatsworth House.
In 2011, an American benefactor donated Chaos Pamplona to the Town of Yountville located in Napa Valley, California.
This monumental work was installed on July 11, 2011. The official dedication ceremony will take place at 10am on July 16, 2011 with both the benefactor and artist in attendance.
In 2012, the city of Bilbao, Spain installed Chaos Nervion by Jedd Novatt in the Campa de los Ingleses surrounded by the Guggenheim Museum, Raphael Moneo Library and the Cesar Pelli tower. The work was unveiled on July 27 with the Mayor of Bilbao Iñaki Azkuna in attendance.
In 2013, Novatt"s monumental works Chaos SAS (pictured above) and Chaos Bizkaia were permanently installed in Miami, Florida as part of the Pérez Art Museum Miami"s collection.