First Edition Art Book, "Lari Pittman", by Robert Storr, Wayne Koestenbaum, Helen Molesworth, Lisa Phillips

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Offered is a fabulous monogram art book, "Lari Pittman", featuring a comprehensive look at the works of Colombian American artist … Read more Offered is a fabulous monogram art book, "Lari Pittman", featuring a comprehensive look at the works of Colombian American artist Lari Piittman. Dust jacket, hardcover.
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Skira Rizzoli
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 5, 2011
Edition ‏ : ‎ First Edition
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 276 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0847835766
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0847835768
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.8 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.375" x 1.25" x 12.5"
Artist Bio:
Lari Pittman was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1952. Pittman received both a BFA (1974) and an MFA (1976) from California Institute of the Arts, Valencia. Inspired by commercial advertising, folk art, and decorative traditions, his meticulously layered paintings transform pattern and signage into luxurious scenes fraught with complexity, difference, and desire. In a manner both visually gripping and psychologically strange, Pittman’s hallucinatory works reference myriad aesthetic styles, from Victorian silhouettes to social realist murals to Mexican “retablos.”

Pittman uses anthropomorphic depictions of furniture, weapons, and animals—loaded with symbolism—to convey themes of romantic love, violence, and mortality. His paintings and drawings are a personal rebellion against rigid, puritanical dichotomies. They demonstrate the complementary nature of beauty and suffering, pain and pleasure—and direct the viewer’s attention to bittersweet experiences and the value of sentimentality in art. Despite subject matter that changes from series to series, Pittman’s deployment of simultaneously occurring narratives and opulent imagery reflects the rich heterogeneity of American society, the artist’s Colombian heritage, and the distorting effects of hyper-capitalism on everyday life.

Pittman has received many awards, including a Pacific Design Center Stars of Design Award (2004); the Skowhegan Medal (2002); and three fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts (1987, 1989, 1993). He has had major exhibitions at Institute of Contemporary Arts, London (1998); Los Angeles County Museum of Art (1996); and Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston (1996). He has participated in the Venice Biennale (2003); Documenta × (1997); and three Whitney Biennial exhibitions (1993, 1995, 1997). Pittman lives and works in Los Angeles.
From the publisher:
Lari Pittman’s meticulously rendered paintings employ a complex mix of symbols and images to create dense and compelling narratives on love, violence, and desire. Drawing upon design, folk art, and decorative traditions, Pittman’s brightly colored paintings incorporate and rework a range of styles and genres—Victorian silhouettes, social realist murals, and Mexican retablos—to conjure a hallucinatory effect unique in contemporary painting. Pittman has earned numerous accolades in the art world and has been included in the Venice Biennale, Documenta X, and four Whitney Biennials. The first monograph on his thirty-year career, this book will be a vital addition to any art enthusiast’s library. See less