Iwona Blazwick - Böcker

Early plans for the Whitechapel Library included provision for an unrealised weathervane. Over a century later this original intention has been achieved through Rodney Graham's Erasmus Weathervane - a glittering addition to the London skyline. This publication celebrates the inauguration of Graham's weathervane on the cupola of the Whitechapel Gallery's roof. Rodney Graham was born in 1949 in Canada and lives and works in Vancouver. He has continually worked across different mediums including photography, sculpture and installation as well as music, film, performance and writing and his work has taken the form of architectural models, books, camera obscuras, wallpaper and musical scores.

Alex Katz is a towering figure in contemporary painting, a key New York-based artist since the early 1960s. Katz is best known for his distinct portraits of sophisticated, irresistible women, masterfully painted using precise, broad areas of colourAlex Katz first emerged on the New York art scene during the heyday of Abstract Expressionism and before the birth of Pop art, but always worked independently of these movements. Katz is best known for his distinctive portraits of sophisticated, irresistible women, masterfully painted using precise, broad areas of colour. Alongside these unmistakably ‘Katzian’ female portraits are pictures of men, groups, landscapes and interiors, rendered in paint on canvas or metal cut-outs as well as drawing and collage. All attest to the artist’s attention to detail, economy of means and consummate technique.Larger-than-life paintings such as The Black Dress (1960), Blue Umbrella (1972), Red Coat (1982) and White Visor (2003) have entered the collective consciousness as the epitome of a particular, late twentieth-century feminine ideal. A major touring retrospective was organized by New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art in 1986, and Katz has exhibited widely all over the world. His works are in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Tate, London; the Musée National d’Art Moderne, Paris; and the Nationalgalerie, Berlin, among many others.A leading world expert on Katz, distinguished New York art critic Carter Ratcliff writes the definitive, comprehensive Survey, following Katz’s work from the 1950s to the present. In the Interview New York-based curator and critic Robert Storr discusses in detail with the artist his practice and technique in the context of a changing art world. Curator Iwona Blazwick enters in her Focus the silent world of Sylvia (1962-63), a classic Katz portrait that resonates with the urban landscape occupied by both artist and sitter. For Artist’s Choice Katz has selected nine works by New York School Poets, all of whom share a particular, often personal connection to his work. Artist’s Writings range from an early text from 1959 on Katz’s dislike of the term ‘academy’ to a recent text that reflects on his beginnings as an artist. Key interviews with some of the of the twentieth century’s most prestigious art figures – including critic David Sylvester and artists Francesco Clemente, Jane Freilicher and Richard Prince – are also included.

Working towards the melding of her artistic work and the discipline of architecture, Cristina Iglesias has long been preoccupied with exploring notions of space and of a space within a space. The sheer scale of her sculptures invites viewers to walk around and occasionally through her pieces. On a more microscopic level, Iglesias has remained fascinated by details, with data that deliberately distracts or skews the perception of abstract forms. Rich surfaces, such as cast impressions of local and exotic flora, become progressively consuming as the viewer approaches them. This publication is the first mongraph on the artist, and includes a consideration of work done in collaboration with architects Abalos & Herreros and Paul Robbrech. 186 illustrations

A beautifully designed and comprehensive monograph about a key contemporary European artist. With essays by Iwona Blazwick, Carlos Bunga, Nuno Faria, Inês Grosso and Antony Hudek.