These occupy nearly an acre of specially built interior walls that have been installedper lewitt s own specificationsover three stories of a historic mill b. Published to accompany the landmark retrospective exhibition of sol lewitts innovative wall drawings on view for 25 years at mass moca and conceived by the yale university art gallery in collaboration with the artist before his death in april 2007, this book celebrates the artists illustrious 50year career. For the book, the editors denise markonish and susan cross, mms curators asked 100 different people connected to lewitt friends, artists, musicians, assistants, architects, and curators to submit short pieces. Gary garrels, curator of the exhibition sol lewitt. In 1976, lewitt cofounded the artists book bookstore printed matter in new york, with lucy lippard. Sol lewitt 1928 2007 sol lewitt was born on september 9th, 1928 in hartford, connecticut to eastern european immigrants.
A wall drawing retrospective, which opened at mm in november 2008. His belief in the artist as a generator of ideas was instrumental in the transition from the modern to the postmodern era. Solomon sol lewitt september 9, 1928 april 8, 2007 was an american artist linked to various movements, including conceptual art and minimalism lewitt came to fame in the late 1960s with his wall drawings and structures a term he preferred instead of sculptures but was prolific in a wide range of media including drawing, printmaking, photography, painting, installation, and. Lewitt worked at the museum of modern art, new york city, first as a night receptionist and later at the museums information and sales desk.
These are inexpensive books that communicate his ideas and works to a nonart audience. Lewitt s earliest wall drawings, including wall drawing 11, all are done in hard, black pencil, a material that rendered the work as twodimensional as possible and maintained the integrity of the wall as a plane. Featuring 34 pages of drawings, the work is an early example of lewitts rigorous, algorithmic process in which a set of rules, applied to generate an image, are subsequently run through all of their permutations. Sol lewitt, born in connecticut in 1928, began exhibiting in new york in the 1960s, and has gone on to become one of the most influential artists of today. It charts the evolution of lewitts art from his 1950s figurative paintings and drawings to the conceptual sculptures of the 1960s and finally to the brightly colored abstract wall drawings and gouaches of today. Sol lewitt s most popular book is between the lines. This book, the first retrospective of lewitts work in more than twenty years, fosters a deeper understanding of the artists career and its significance to american art. Including essays by gary garrels, martin friedman, brenda richardson, and other distinguished curators and art historians, the book charts the evolution of lewitt. A retrospective has 1 available editions to buy at half price books marketplace. This ebook is published in conjunction with the exhibition. San francisco museum of modern art museum of contemporary art chicago, ill. Published to accompany the landmark retrospective exhibition of sol lewitt s innovative wall drawings on view for 25 years at mass moca and conceived by the yale university art gallery in collaboration with the artist before his death in april 2007, this book.
Sol lewitt has 47 books on goodreads with 224 ratings. Sol lewitt a retrospective rare hardcover dj drawings. Having owned it for months, it is still a pleasure to flip through this book and explore the concepts and discoveries that the artist has gone through. A wall drawing retrospective, mass moca and yale university press are producing sol lewitt. It charts the evolution of lewitt s art from his 1950s. A wall drawing retrospective at mass moc a is a landmark installation which includes forty years of lewitt s work covering nearly an acre of wall surface built to the artists specifications over three stories of a historic mill building in a 19 th century former factory in north. His systematic methodology centers on the idea behind a work of art, a formulaic procedure by which a work is to be installed directly on a. His family lived in hartford, connecticut until his father, a doctor, died when sol was six years old. Until 2033, lewitt s wall drawings are the subject of a solo exhibition titled sol lewitt. A retrospective and the accompanying exhibition organized by gary garrels of the san francisco museum of modern bring us uptodate.
The exhibition surveys the varied and historically significant publication practice of conceptual artist sol lewitt through a nearcomplete presentation of book works drawn from the expansive research of giorgio. After receiving a bfa from syracuse university he worked as a graphic designer in the office of architect i. Lewitts voice at times authoritarian, exposing his deeply conceptual thinking echoes. Publication date 2000 publisher whitney museum of american art.
A wall drawing retrospective at mass moc a is a landmark installation which includes forty years of lewitts work covering nearly an acre of wall surface built to the artists specifications over three stories of a historic mill building in a 19 th century former factory in north adams, ma. Sol lewitt, one of the most important american artists of this century, has spent the past four decades creating artworks that explore the potential of ideas for the making of visual forms. A retrospective, held at the san francisco museum of modern art february 19may 30, 2000, museum of contemporary art, chicago july 22october 22, 2000, and whitney museum of american art, new york november 30, 2000february 25, 2001. This book, the first retrospective of lewitt s work in more than twenty years, fosters a deeper understanding of the artists career and its significance to american art and thought. Sol lewitt earned a place in the history of art for his leading role in the conceptual movement. The exhibition surveys the varied and historically significant publication practice of conceptual artist sol lewitt through a nearcomplete presentation of book. Almost autistic seeming at times, sol lewitt has a way of setting up circumstances for artistic study and then executing every single possibility as deemed by those circumstances. Catalog to accompany mass mocas sol lewitt exhibition, on view through 2033. A wall drawing retrospective that will run until 2033.
Solomon sol lewitt was the only child of russian jewish parents. Gary garrels sol lewitt a retrospective 1st edition 2000. With essays by martin friedman, andrea millerkeller, brenda richardson, anne rorimer, john s. A wall drawing retrospective is housed in building no. Sol lewitt art monographs and museum exhibition catalogs. Haas chief curator and curator of painting and sculpture at the san francisco museum of modern art. I found this exhibition catalog to be a handy resource for capturing the visual expression of sol lewitt s major concepts. A retrospective see other formats sol lewitt a retrospective this exhibition celebrates the art of sol lewitt b. This is what a set of assistants created by a set of vague instructions from sol lewitt. Published on the occasion of the exhibition sol lewitt. Unless you are very familiar with sol lewitt s work, this book is likely to be a revelation.
Illustrated color covers feature two works of art by the artist entitled color bands in four directions and color arcs in four directions both from 1999. This book is in my library because of the work that i love, and i am a big enough fan of it that i want it, along with many other books on his work. The wall drawings of sol lewitt are arts equivalent of gifts that come with some assembly required. Contributors are drawn from a wide array of expertise and fields of specialization. Haas chief curator and curator of painting and sculpture at the san francisco museum of. With more than 450 images, the book provides a stunning visual survey of lewitt s oeuvre from 1960 to 1999, including sumptuous wall drawings, threedimensional structures, works on paper, and photographs. A wall drawing retrospective occupies nearly an acre of specially built interior walls that are installedper lewitt s own specificationsover three stories of a historic mill building situated at the heart of mass mocas 19thcentury, former factory campus.
Sol lewitt 19282007 was born in hartford, connecticut, where he took art classes at the wadsworth atheneum. The artists books of sol lewitt at printed matter, new york. Haas chief curator and curator of painting and sculpture at the. Sol lewitt s conceptual art is to the mind what a beautiful waterfall is to the eyes. This is the massive hardcover catalogue issued in conjunction with a substantive 2000 traveling retrospective organized by the san francisco museum of modern art of over three hundred pieces by sol lewitt the most comprehensive exhibition of work by the late, great minimalist master to date. Sol lewitts most popular book is between the lines. Signed sol lewitt a retrospective rare hardcover dj. A wall drawing retrospective opened in 2008, a year after the artists death. A wall drawing retrospective comprises 105 of lewitts largescale wall drawings, spanning the artists career from 1969 to 2007. These two jobs hold fond memories for lewitt because, in 1978, his retrospective was held at the museum of modern art. Lewitt transforms these ideas into objects of exquisite beauty and elegance, deliberately introducing elements of chance, intuition, or irrationality into the systems that govern the creation of his works. A wall drawing retrospective occupies nearly an acre of specially built interior walls that are installedper lewitts own specificationsover three stories of a historic mill building situated at the heart of mass mocas 19thcentury, former factory campus. Critical texts has very few pictures and a retrospective is full of pictures.
Recognizing his key role in the minimalist and conceptual movements of the 1960s and 70s, new yorks moma gave lewitt a major retrospective in 1978. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new. The essays are better than in some other lewitt books for explaining what the work is all about. Yale university press, 2000 hardback is overall in near fine condition, with a near fine dj. It includes almost an acre of wall space devoted to more than 105 drawings created to lewitt s specifications. This is the massive softcover catalogue issued in conjunction with a substantive 2000 traveling retrospective organized by the san francisco museum of modern art of over three hundred pieces by sol lewitt the most comprehensive exhibition of work by the late, great minimalist master to date. Featuring 105 of sol lewitt s largescale works that encompass the artists entire careerfrom his taut, early graphite wall drawings of the mid1960s to his swirling, brightly colored drawings of the early 21st centurythe milestone retrospective sol lewitt. Lewitt is regarded as a founder of both minimal and conceptual art. A wall drawing retrospective comprises 105 of lewitt s largescale wall drawings, spanning the artists career from 1969 to 2007. His prolific two and threedimensional work ranges from wall drawings over 1200 of which have been executed to hundreds of works on paper extending to structures in the form of towers, pyramids, geometric forms, and progressions. Thereafter, lewitt and his mother, a nurse, lived with his aunt in new britain, connecticut. A retrospective 9780300083583 and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. Signed sol lewitt a retrospective rare hardcover dj drawings. A retrospective, held at the san francisco museum of modern art february 19may.
A wall drawing retrospective occupies nearly an acre of specially built interior walls that are installed per lewitt s own specifications over three stories of. Printed matter is pleased to present book as system. For him the idea behind a work was all important, the execution a secondary matter. Current show featuring works by sol lewitt at mass moca north adams, 1040 mass moca way nov 16th, 2008 oct 1st, 2033. A landmark collaboration of mass moca, yale university art gallery, the.
Unless you are very familiar with sol lewitts work, this book is likely to be a revelation. Until 2033, lewitts wall drawings are the subject of a solo exhibition titled sol lewitt. During the 80s and 90s, lewitt s work moved from a cerebral asceticism toward rich color and surfaces and a more explicit sensuality and expressiveness. These occupy nearly an acre of specially built interior walls that have been installedper lewitts own specificationsover three stories of a historic mill b. Lewitt transforms these ideas into objects of exquisite beauty and elegance, deliberately introducing elements of chance, intuition, or irrationality into. Illustrated color covers feature two works of art by the artist entitled color bands in four directions and color arcs in. In one exhibit shown in this book, sol lewitt examines and deconstructs all the possible forms of an open frame cube. This book, the first retrospective of lewitts work in more than twenty years, fosters a deeper understanding of the artists career and its significance to american art and thought.
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