A.G. Rizzoli: Architect of Magnificent Visions - Hardcover

Hernandez, Jo Farb; Beardsley, John; Cardinal, Roger

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0810942933 ISBN 13: 9780810942936

Publisher: Harry N Abrams Inc, 1997

Synopsis

He has been compared to Blake, Piranesi, and Escher, and his imaginative architectural drawings have been described as "the find of the century." Outwardly, he was a recluse who had few companions except for his mother and children in the neighborhood; inwardly, he was the creator of fantastic renderings, including an attempt late in life to transcribe a third testament of the Bible. He is A. G. Rizzoli (1896-1981), visionary artist extraordinaire.
The discovery of Rizzoli's Beaux Arts-style drawings in San Francisco came in 1990, when they were brought to the attention of a keen-eyed dealer. Since that time, Rizzoli has acquired a fame that would astonish this shy, conflicted man. Essays about Rizzoli's life, analyses of his work and writings, and sources of his inspiration are presented in this first-ever survey by scholars John Beardsley, Roger Cardinal, and Jo Farb Hernandez.
A. G. Rizzoli: Architect of Magnificent Visions brings together for the first time a dazzling array of works. In addition the book includes a chronology, glossary of terms (for the artist was an acrobatic linguist), and list of pseudonyms and self-referential titles. Today Rizzoli is regarded as one of the most astonishing visionary or outsider artists, with an avid following from California to New York. This book will accompany a major traveling exhibition in the U.S., organized by the San Diego Museum of Art.

About this title

Review:

Published to accompany a two-year traveling exhibition of A. G. Rizzoli's work, Architect of Magnificent Visions is the exhibition's catalog as well as the definitive study of the life and work of this visionary artist and architect. Working by day as a humble draftsman in a small San Francisco architecture firm, the reclusive Rizzoli created his extraordinary color-ink renderings of his dream city and other visions in secret during his spare time. His meticulous, highly detailed drawings of Gothic cathedrals, skyscrapers, and domes were intended as symbolic architectural stand-ins for people he knew, particularly his mother, whom he worshipfully depicted as an elaborate fortress. Hailed by curators as "the find of the century," Rizzoli's drawings were unearthed 10 years after his death. The 94 illustrations reproduced in this beautiful volume, including 36 in full color, as well as the insightful essays by experts in the study of "outsider" art (artwork typically produced by someone untrained in the arts and that is not associated with any particular artistic or cultural movement), interpret Rizzoli's bizarre life and work in ways accessible to both scholars and the general public.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harry N Abrams Inc
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0810942933
• ISBN 13: 9780810942936
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 136