Description
An introductory discussion of the work of the early modern pioneers of abstraction opens up into a completely new approach to abstract art based around five inclusive themes - the body, the landscape, the cosmos, architecture, and the repertory of man-made signs and patterns - each of which has its own chapter. Starting from a figurative example, Karmel works outwards to develop a series of narratives that go far beyond the established figures and movements traditionally associated with abstract art. Each narrative is complemented by a number of 'featured' abstract works, which provide an in-depth illustration of the breadth of Karmel's distinctive vision.
A wide-ranging examination of topics - from embryos to the surface of skin, from vortexes to waves, planets to star charts, towers to windows - is interwoven with detailed analysis of works by established figures like Joan Miro and Jackson Pollock alongside pieces by lesser-known artists such as Wu Guanzhong, Hilma af Klint and Odili Donald Odita.
Taking content as a guide to form, this important survey on abstract art breaks open the canon to make room for artists from across the globe
About the Author
Pepe Karmel received his B.A. from Harvard College and his Ph.D. from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, and now teaches in the Department of Art History, New York University. He is the author of Picasso and the Invention of Cubism, and has written for publications including Art in America and The New York Times. Karmel has also curated or co-curated numerous exhibitions.
Reviews
'Karmel approaches the field not as a steady tunnelling toward nothingness, as figures and other discernible objects fell away, but as something more dynamic - and much less white, Western, and male' - Vogue.com
'Handsomely illustrated' - Best Art Books of 2020, Sunday Times
'Magnificent ... warmly recommended to anyone who loves art and possesses an open mind' - Evening Standard
'Carefully conceived and beautifully produced... an original and valuable way to approach twentieth and twenty-first-century abstraction' - artblog.com
Book Information
ISBN 9780500239582
Author Pepe Karmel
Format Hardback
Page Count 344
Imprint Thames & Hudson Ltd
Publisher Thames & Hudson Ltd
Weight(grams) 2390g