The Paternal Suit: Heirlooms from the F. Scott Hess Family Foundation

December 18, 2014,

July 10, 2014 October 5, 2014All Day -

The Paternal Suit: Heirlooms from the F. Scott Hess Family Foundation consists of more than 100 paintings, prints, and objects assembled by contemporary Los Angeles artist F. Scott Hess. The exhibit, which will run through October 5, will be presented as legitimate historical artifacts, supported by photographs, documents, and historical ephemera. Each object and artwork bears an artist’s name and detailed provenance and has been executed in the style of the century from which it originates. Sculpture, ceramics, furniture, toys, newspaper clippings, historic photographs, guns, and costumes advance the story.

Hess does not claim authorship for the majority of works on display. Instead, he ascribes to them fictional artists, referring to himself as the Director of the “F. Scott Hess Family Foundation.” A film by Susan Carney and Shirin Bazleh will also be part of the exhibition. The film includes interviews with Hess at his home in Los Angeles, insight into his creative process, still images of works in the exhibition, and an overview of the captivating history of his paternal family side.

The exhibition follows Hess’s ancestral lineage from 17th century England to the Puritan settlements of South Carolina and Georgia, where family members became key players in the American Civil War (1861-1865). Through the prism of his ancestry, Hess examines the impact of false history and deception within each generation and throughout society as a whole, and questions the authority of perceived “truths.”

PATERNAL SUIT from Shirin Bazleh on Vimeo.






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