"Julius Friedman has done what I think are an extraordinary group of posters." --Milton Glaser, Glaser Inc., New York
One of America's most prolific and versatile artists, photographers and graphic designers of the modern era, Julius Friedman presents the output of a lifetime in Julius Friedman: Images and Ideas. In 308 beautiful full-color pages we see not only the impeccably-composed, witty and lavishly colorful graphic arts posters for which he is internationally renowned, but also the full scope of his other wide-ranging explorations: furniture design, bookmaking, art installations, sculpture and photography.
At no time before has the complete oeuvre of this world-class artist been aggregated and presented to an admiring world, because Friedman's catalog -- still in progress and now in the most mature, assured years of his working life -- has defied easy compilation. But herein Friedman himself has tackled the assignment, exploring his life, his processes, and his complete works to date, even designing the book that sums it all up.
In the design you will get a glimpse into the mind and instincts of the artist, suggesting the inspirations and sources of his particular imaginative product, and moreover, exploring the general processes that power art in all media around the world.
Update: Butler Books is proud to announce that Julius Friedman: Images and Ideas has been awarded the GOLD Medal for Excellence in the National Fine Arts category of the 2009 Independent Publisher Book Awards!
"Friedman's posters add a fourth dimension to an otherwise three-dimensional medium." ----Steven Heller, author, critic, co-chair MFA Designer as Author Program, School of Visual Arts, New York
"Julius Friedman's images celebrate the improbable, even the impossible. The posters he has created are some of the most iconic images in American graphic arts of the last 30 years. His creative life is devoted to images -- some corporate, many purely cultural -- that bend the mind and persist long after they are first seen. Although a consummate professional, as he approaches age 65 Julius has not lost his childlike sense of wonder. Objects as mundane as a twig, a stone, a slice of bread are captured for a graphic statement. He leads us to see the ordinary in a new light, turning the everyday object into something extraordinary. Through the camera lens, Julius uniquely touches the world. His images continue to surprise, to stimulate, and sometimes to shock and shatter." ----Barry Bernson, reporter, anchor
"As the years unfold, the work accumulates that Julius Friedman has created for the world. One thinks of the poster he made for the ballet, with the ballerina's pink slipper balanced on top of an egg. The meaning in this work, as all his work, is multi-layered. The tenuousness of the creative moment, the fragility of our attempt to go beyond our human limits, the beauty of the split-second performance, the leap into space are all contained in that image, as in many others, including his personal photographs.
"What Julius has done is show us that our place is universal and that we co-exist with beauty of the highest nature. As an artist, he helps us renew our vision. His book designs, such as the one for Stephen Powell's glass-blown vessels, with glass as transparent as smoke going up in curls, gives the glass blower the credit for his skill and unbelievable alchemy of substance into airy flights.
"Julius' most wonderful attribute is his generosity toward his fellow artists. He chooses well, and he remains intensely loyal in support of them. In his gallery, shared with his wife, Cheryl Chapman, he shows, publishes, and sells their work. He is an inspiration to the art world. His decision to remain in Kentucky is a gift to our region, where he is both creating and keeping a history of art." ----Nana Lampton, artist, writer, and Chairman and CEO, Hardscuffle
