Abstraction, Gesture, Ecriture: Paintings from the Daros Collection - Hardcover

Bois, Yve-Alain; Juncosa, Enrique; Krauss, Rosalind E.; Marshall, Richard D.; Richardson, Brenda

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 3908247993 ISBN 13: 9783908247999

Publisher: Amilus Inc, 1999

Synopsis

American Abstract Expressionism is not only one of the most fascinating but also one of the most influential periods in contemporary art after the 1940's Abstraction, Gesture, Ecriture illustrates -- in the essays of well-known art critics as well as in the paintings selected from the Daros Collection -- the different abstractions and gestures in contemporary American art. It focuses on American artists who conceived of a way of painting which began with the scrawl-like gestures of Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Joan Mitchell. Then the scriptural gesture, developed out of handwriting, is examined in an extraordinary group of work that spans Cy Twombly's whole career. Brice Marden's alternately fluid and tensile linear abstractions and Robert Rymans intensive occupation with the stroke of a brush are discussed as well as Andy Warhol's answers to Abstract Expressionism in his Oxidation and Shadow Paintings in 1978. This particular movement in Abstract Expressionism has provoked an on-going dialogue in painting. Abstraction, Gesture, Ecriture covers this original gesture from the Action Painters and its resonance through the next generation of painters. Each painting discussed comes from the Daros Collection, a Swiss private collection which is one of the internationally most important private collections of contemporary art focusing on American art of the last 50 years. The carefully selected authors, all well respected in the art and academic world, complete this extraordinary and beautifully designed volume. The perfect gift book!

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Reviews

Artworks that emphasize key elements of American Abstract Expressionism--such as the direct, tactile transferring of the artist's body movement to the canvas and ecriture or calligraphic abstractionism--are featured in this first-ever presentation of the privately held Daros Collection, soon to open its doors in Zurich to the public. An introduction by Daros curator and volume editor Fischer is followed by erudite yet easy-to-grasp essays by leading scholars on Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Joan Mitchell, Cy Twombly, Brice Marden, Andy Warhol, Jonathan Lasker, David Reed, Philip Taaffe, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. This unusual grouping, spanning four decades, is united by technique and conception. The catalog's layout and presentation are faultless. Striking reproductions, including many double foldouts, capture the paintings and details exquisitely. This unique work is highly recommended for research art collections.
-Russell T. Clement, Univ. of Tennessee Lib., Knoxville
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Amilus Inc
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3908247993
• ISBN 13: 9783908247999
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 220