Jessica Morgan (2) (1968–)

This new catalogue accompanies the first major U.S. museum presentation of work by internationally celebrated Danish artist Olafur Eliasson, whose photography, sculpture, and installation work are distinguished by poetic economy of means and a quiet, elegant beauty. Eliasson's work typically transforms the museum or outdoor setting through installations that combine the artist's concerns with both the ephemeral natural effects of light, water, and wind and more tangible materials such as show more thorns, moss, and grass. His work is characterized by simplicity of approach. Despite its often-remarkable effects--rainbows, massive waterfalls, walls of steam--the technology required to create the work is relatively simple and clearly exposed for the viewer to observe. Eliasson has also worked extensively in the field of photography, frequently documenting the landscape of Iceland, his home for many years. Presented in serial grid format, Eliasson approaches photography with the mind of an amateur scientist, documenting different cave formations or icebergs in dozens of studies that take on the appearance of independent sculptural objects. show less

A major figure in contemporary art, John Baldessari is widely considered one of the most influential artists to emerge since the mid-1960s. From his early text-and-image paintings to his more recent photo collages and installations, Baldessari has continued to make art that addresses the social impact of mass culture, often playfully through strategies of appropriation and deconstruction. Baldessari's lifelong interest in language, written and visual, and the interaction between the two, show more raises questions about the nature of communication and perception. More than 400 illustrations are presented in full colour in this monograph published in conjunction with a major exhibition organised by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Tate Modern in London. Eleven essays by critics, curators, art historians, and an artist and former student of Baldessari's round out this volume. Few contemporary artists have achieved the range and relevance of Baldessari's oeuvre, which is finally given its due in this elegant retrospective book. show less

Art Library - shelved at: B70