John Baldessari Catalogue Raisonné Volume Two: 1975-1986
John Baldessari
Catalogue Raisonné Volume Two: 1975-1986
Compiling 400 plus unique works of art, this volume traces the shifts and developments in conceptual artist John Baldessari's work from 1975-86. It covers his photo-based works such as the "Strobe," "Word Chain," and "Pathetic Fallacy" series from 1975; the "Violent Space" and the seminal "Concerning Diachronic/Synchronic Time: Above, On, Under (with Mermaid)," from 1976; and the "Blasted Allegories," series from 1977-78, which drew heavily from the artist's vast collection of photo stills taken from commercial television.
In the 1980s, Baldessari's art took a different direction, beginning with the expansive "Fugitive Essays" triptychs from 1980 and leading to 1982's photographic interpretations of Grimm's Fairy Tales. Building on these themes, Baldessari began producing a body of work that was inspired in part by dreams, psychology, film, and popular culture. Ensuing works were more formal, elaborate, and large-scale. From 1984 to 1986 Baldessari created a number of works that employed his soon-to-be signature colored discs painted over people's faces in the photos.
An introductory essay will provide a close reading of selected works and a historical context for understanding Baldessari's art from this period. A detailed chronology and exhibition history and bibliography are also included.
2014
Edited by Patrick Pardo and Robert Dean
Published by Marian Goodman Gallery in association with Yale University Press
Hardcover with slipcase
496 pages
ISBN 9780300198102