Larry Poons

The first book-length monograph on one of the greatest living American painters

Larry Poons (b. 1937) shot to fame while still in his twenties, on the strength of his “dot paintings,” in which dots or ellipses were meticulously arranged on brightly colored fields, creating a rhythmic, pulsating effect. But within a few years, Poons first loosened the hard-edged precision of the dot paintings and then abandoned them entirely for an organic mode of abstraction based on vertical drips of flung paint. This marked the beginning of an uncompromising five-decade evolution that has finally led the artist back to a more intimate mode of painting with brushes―and his own hands. At every stage, Poons's career has compelled the attention of critics and, in particular, other artists.

This handsome volume, the first full-length biocritical monograph on Poons, reproduces almost 300 of his most important works in full color, some as spectacular gatefolds. The incisive text―a collaboration between four leading critics and historians―traces the development of the artist’s extraordinary career. Larry Poons is a necessary addition to the library of anyone with an interest in American art.

Over 300 color illustrations, including 9 gatefolds

Michael Fried, an art critic and historian, is J. R. Herbert Boone Professor of Humanities and Art History at the Johns Hopkins University.

Barbara Rose (1936–2020) was a prominent art historian and curator whose writings included American Art since 1900 and “ABC Art.”

Karen Wilkin, an independent curator and critic, has written extensively on twentieth-century art.

David Ebony, a contributing editor of Art in America and a columnist for Artnet News, is the author of numerous artist monographs.

David Anfam curated Abstract Expressionism (Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2016-17), the largest exhibition of its kind ever held in Europe.