Patrick Pardo - Böcker

The second in a projected four-volume series of the complete catalogue of works by John BaldessariCompiling four-hundred-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. This is the second of a projected four-volume catalogue raisonné.Published in association with Marian Goodman Gallery

A comprehensive look at works made by Baldessari between the years 1987 and 1993This handsome volume, the third of the John Baldessari (b. 1931) catalogue raisonné project, compiles 400-plus unique works of art made by the influential conceptual artist from 1987 through 1993. Here we see the artist’s large-scale photo-based works, many of which employed his signature colored discs painted over the faces of people in the photos, accompanied by entries that trace the shifts and developments in Baldessari’s work as his collaged photo narratives achieved maturity and mastery.  A critical essay by Briony Fer provides a close reading of selected works, giving historical context for Baldessari’s art from this period. In addition to a detailed chronology, complete exhibition history, and bibliography, this volume notably features a previously unpublished conversation between Baldessari and the artist Ed Ruscha, which was undertaken specifically for this publication. In the conversation, the artists discuss their early careers in Southern California and the shared thematic concerns in their work.  The artworks in this volume demonstrate Baldessari’s ability to express—and, in many cases, combine—the narrative potential of images and the associative power of language within the boundaries of a single piece. Published in association with Marian Goodman Gallery

The fourth volume of the John Baldessari Catalogue Raisonné comprises approximately 370 works that represent the activity of this iconic conceptual artist between 1994 and 2004. Here, John Baldessari (b. 1931) continues to interrogate the possibilities of photographic appropriation, further developing his unique strategies for the production of meaning and narrative within the picture frame. Included in this crucial volume is the landmark Goya series, which shows the artist revisiting his characteristic photo-text pieces established early in his career. In the serial trio Overlap, Intersection,and Junction, produced between 2000 and 2002, Baldessari riffs on the notion of pictorial space, with each series building on the preceding one. Along with a full chronology, an essay contributed by the eminent critic Robert Storr closely examines a selection of these works, articulating their place within the evolution of the artist’s career and their much broader historical climate. Published in association with Marian Goodman Gallery

The fifth volume of the John Baldessari Catalogue Raisonné compiles the approximately 367 works made by the influential American conceptual artist (b. 1931) from 2005 through 2010. During these years, the artist undertook a number of series, including the shaped erasures of “Blockage”; the word-and-image juxtapositions of “Prima Facie”; the explorations of the face in “Nose and Ears, Etc.” and “Raised Eyebrows/Furrowed Foreheads”; and the muted, spare “Sediment” works on canvas.  Catalogue entries allow readers to trace the shifts and developments in Baldessari’s work during these years, a time of continued experimentation and aesthetic distillation that is further explored in a conversation between Baldessari and fellow artist David Salle. A critical essay by Hannah B. Higgins provides a close reading of selected works and gives a historical context for understanding Baldessari’s art from this period.  Published in association with Marian Goodman Gallery