Hundertwasser: Catalogue Raisonne - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 3822862207 ISBN 13: 9783822862209

Publisher: Taschen America Llc, 2002

Synopsis

The Catalogue Raisonniis not a posthumous tribute, but a living legacy
Friedensreich Hundertwasser: born Friedrich Stowasser, he lived and died as Friedensreich (meaning ""realm of peace"") Hundertwasser - a name he chose for himself. Architect, ecologist, painter, designer, writer, innovator ... his list of talents goes on and on. Hundertwasser reinvented the art of living as an artist 24 hours a day.

The lifework ofthis prolific creator is brought together for the first time in this limited edition of 10,000 copies. Hundertwasser began to number and catalogue his work in 1954 and had completed the task for his entire oeuvre, including short historiesto accompany each work, before his untimely death in February 2000. He worked closely with TASCHEN on this project, designing the layout and the book itself: with rounded edges and a cover with colored velvet on black linen, the Catalogue Raisonni is an exquisite work of art.

Volume I contains a text by Wieland Schmied, a celebrated art historian and a longtime personal friend of Hundertwasser, with selected paintings, architectural works, projects, and manifestos. Volume II comprises Hundertwasser's entire painted oeuvre, adhering to his precise numbering and information system, his architecture as well as everything else he ever produced, from postage stamps to license plates, architecture, and applied art.

This is a testament to Hundertwasser's work the way he wanted it. Because the book's detailed concept, design, and text were completed by the artist before his death, this book now speaks for him, breathing life into his work.

**Limited edition for collectors: Only 10,000 copies worldwide**

Specifications: Thisedition,the last book created by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, includes:

Twovolumes in a slip case designed by Hundertwasser, lavishly printed in ten colors on rounded, black-edged pages

Hundertwasser's original layout design

1,792pages and about 1,900 illustrations, documenting Hundertwasser's life and oeuvre from 1928 to 2000, with many personal notes and comments by the artist

An original 24 x 20 cm color etching (9 3/8 x 7 7/8 inches), specially created for this edition, numbered and marked with the Hundertwasser estate stampe

About this title

Review:

A sumptuous visual pleasure, Catalogue Raisonne compiles the entire oeuvre of Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Divided into two volumes and packaged in a handsome cloth and velvet slipcase, the set comes with a limited-edition lithograph stamped by the artist's estate; the whole presentation is a work of art in its own right. Volume one provides an in-depth biography of the artist by Wieland Schmied, an art historian and friend of the subject. Weiland considers such high points as Hundertwasser's year-long quest to create a single tapestry without a pattern, his "speeches in the nude," and his abiding environmentally conscious aesthetic. Hundertwasser's love of ecology was naturally reflected in his paintings and tapestries, which are permeated by strings and whorls of vibrant colors, organic forms and nary a straight line. He carried the visions he conveyed on canvas into architecture, designing amorphous, delightful buildings that come as close to Dr. Seuss as physics allow. Volume two is a sometimes overwhelming compendium of his life's work—painting by painting, sketch by sketch. Hundertwasser oversaw the production of Taschen's grand tribute, and his influence can be felt in the layout and text of the volumes. He died shortly after his work on the Catalogue Raisonne was completed, aboard the Queen Mary II. While not necessarily intended as such, the set is a loving final tribute to the artist. -- Ryan Boudinot

About the Author:

Wieland Schmied is an art critic and essayist. He was director of the Kestner Gesellschaft in Hanover, where he organized the first big Hundertwasser retrospective in 1964, with an accompanying catalogue raisonné. From 1974 to 1975 Wieland Schmied was chief curator at the Berliner Nationalgalerie, from 1978 to 1986 the director of the German Artist Exchange Program (DAAD), Berlin and afterwards director of the Munich Academy of Fine Arts. He is currently President of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts, Munich.

About this edition

• Publisher: Taschen America Llc
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 3822862207
• ISBN 13: 9783822862209
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 1792
• Editor: Schmied Wieland