Brinda Kumar – författare

This career-spanning publication features conceptual, political, formal, and technical perspectives on the work of contemporary sculptor Charles RayFor Charles Ray (born 1953), sculpture is a way of thinking that informs his work across a wide range of media—from gelatin silver prints to porcelain, fiberglass, wood, and steel. Charles Ray: Figure Ground spans the whole of the artist’s fifty-year career, from his early photographs and performances through his intriguing, often unsettling sculptures, some of which are published here for the first time.  The essays foreground Ray’s engagement with preexisting traditions, as well as charged issues around race, gender, and sexuality (notably expressed through his explorations of Mark Twain’s 1884 novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn) and investigate the modalities of touch that run through his work. In addition, a reflection by Ray himself and a conversation between the artist and Hal Foster offer further insights into his multifaceted practice.  Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press    Exhibition Schedule:  The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York(January 31–June 5, 2022)

A survey of two icons of Abstract Expressionism that examines their distinct but connected careers and artistic legaciesKrasner and Pollock: Past Continuous examines the connected lives and distinct practices of Lee Krasner (1908–1984) and Jackson Pollock (1912–1956), two trailblazing artists of the twentieth century. Spanning the full arc of their careers—including before they met, their married years, and Krasner’s life after Pollock’s death—this book illustrates more than one hundred paintings and works on paper. The publication highlights the range and art historical importance of Krasner’s work, evaluates Pollock’s significance anew, and considers the pair as artistic interlocutors against the backdrop of the postwar United States. Essays explore key periods in their creative trajectories, from their parallel emergence in the 1940s New York art scene to their later move to Springs, Long Island. The authors situate the artists within their historical context and trace important breakthroughs in their careers, such as Pollock’s deployment of the “drip” technique and Krasner’s turn to collage. Personal reflections from twenty-first-century artists attest to Krasner’s and Pollock’s ongoing legacies.Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University PressExhibition Schedule:The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York(October 4, 2026–January 31, 2027)