No comments about Lisa Lapinski: MOCA Focus.

No comments about Private Stash: A Pinup-Girl Portfolio by 20 Cartoonists.

No comments about The Sacred Sculpture of Thailand: The Alexander B. Griswold Collection, the Walters Art Gallery.

1 comments about Uniform: Order and Disorder.

1. Very simply...a beautiful book. Much deserving to be on your bookshelf or on your side table. You'll look at it again and again.

No comments about Stephen Balkenhol: Sculptures and Drawings.

No comments about Japan's Golden Age: Momoyama.

No comments about Mills and Factories of New England.

2 comments about Erotica: An Illustrated Anthology of Art and Literature.

1. Hill and Wallace have scoured hundreds of years of Western literature, from Aretino and Boccacio to Nin and Miller, carefully gleaning the spicy bits for this collection. And what a collection! The editors' commentary alternates with extracts from the erotic literature, helping to set the historical and cultural context for the exciting passages presented here.
   
   It's not just an anthology of the good parts, though. Paintings, prints, and drawings decorate nearly every page. I liked seeing that the visual arts cover more of the human experience, including Japanese shunga and other samples from China and India. Scraps of poetry also adorn the side-bars of many pages, giving a varied look and reading experience to each page.
   
   Bibilographic attribution lets interested readers find more by favored authors. Unfortunately, readers are on their own in hunting down more imagery by any of the artists shown here. Although enjoyable, the pictures vary in quality, sometimes appear in such small format that they become hard to read, and under-represent recent artists and photographers. Still, they cover a wide range of styles and practices, and complement the text quite well.
   
   The editors intentionally omit non-consensual practices, a decision that I applaud and that might broaden the appeal of this book. Given this delightful introduction, I'm looking forward to the later volumes by these same editors.
   
   -- wiredweird



2. I highly recommend "Erotica - Illustrated Anthology"; the book is filled with beautiful, sexy and sensual art and literature. Great to get for yourself, or as a sexy gift for the one you love....

5 comments about Matthew Barney: The Cremaster Cycle.

1. this is the book for those people who have seen and like the Cremaster Cycle. a super companion that gives very interesting background, and criticism of the cycle.



2. Whether you like Barney or not, this book made for the Guggenheim solo exhibition in 2002 have lot of meat. 500 pages covering his Cremaster series (1,2,3), with numerous photograph stills of his films, reference photos, and his works. Approximately, 340 works are shown. The book quality is very good (did not quite match the creativity of Damien Hirst's I want to spend the rest...book), but nevertherless, this book will serve as Barney's important documentation.



3. I finally bought a copy of this book after putting it off since the show in 2003. I'm glad I got it before it goes out of print, and recommend the hardcover over the softcover as it is a beatiful object/catalog.
   
   Sadly, as I have looked more closely into the book since I got it home, I noticed that the book doesn't come close to covering the majority of the actual works that resulted from the Cremaster films. Perhaps this wasn't the reason for the catalog, but I was under the impression that such a huge book would be pretty comprehensive in its documentation of the works it's about. Not so with this volume. Barney is a master of the capitalist side of the fine art world...and no doubt knew that if he reproduced the works he has sold in tandem with the release of each film, his auction prices would suffer. Therefore his immediate sale prices (from the studio/gallery) would stagnate as well(prices rarely drop from that artist directly).
   
   So, what you get here is a fat volume with tons of sketches, production photos, and documentation of the sculpture. In addition you get a verbose essay by Nancy Spector as well as remembrances from participants in this massive undertaking. It is in the lists of works from the cycle that the volume's gaps become apparent. Barney sold several "artist framed" suites of photos from each film...which act as stand alone pieces of work to be consumed by collectors and institutions. It is these works that are not fully documented in this volume. Even if they had done a page of thumbnails for each of the five films, it would be better than to reproduce one photo from a suite of three or four as they have done here...and each film had 5-10 of these suites made in editions ranging from 2 to 50 copies. Look for another book somewhere down the line documenting these works (or the original volumes released for each of the films which cost an arm and a leg now) to get these in your library. Otherwise, the only place I've seen these works reproduced is in auction catalogs, exactly where Barney and his supporters are happy to see them show up.
   
   I have a certain level of respect for what Barney has accomplished here. Both as an artist and as a viewer. Unfortunately, this amazing artifact if NOT the be all and end all of the Cremaster Cycle, and one must look elsewhere to get the whole picture(s).
   
   Here's to hoping that a DVD release of the whole cycle fills in the gaps left over by this book, which is eye candy rather than a substantive look at this artist's work.



4. Nancy Spector, Matthew Barney: The Cremaster Cycle (Guggenheim, 2002)
   
   Nancy Spector's tome may just have been meant as an accoutrement to the Guggenheim's massive Barney exhibition in 2002, but as an accoutrement, it stands out. Not only in its physical dimensions (Amazon's website says the shipping weight of this book is 8.6 pounds, but after lugging it around for six weeks, I'm willing to put money on the idea that it's closer to twenty-five; it's over a foot tall, and easily as thick as one of the larger volumes of the unabridged OED), but in the concept itself. Spector's essay on Barney takes up the first ninety-two pages, after which comes a glossary of Cremaster terms that reads better than any other glossary you've ever read (think of The Dictionary of the Khazars to get an idea, but using all terms that relate to the Cremaster cycle). Then, of course, the photographs. Mostly video and production stills from the films, but also photos of pieces of Barney's original sketches and storyboard, the sculptures made after the films, and other wonderful little oddities. Good stuff, and a must-have for any Barney fan. Those who have just heard the name, but not seen the films, will get an excellent overview of what you've managed to miss. Those who have no idea who Matthew Barney is, check it out to see what all the fuss is about.
   
   In other words, you want this. ****



5. Why would anyone pay hundreds for the H/C version, if a shiny, new paperback is only $40? Please enlighten this fool? Thanks!

1 comments about Rendezvous.

1. I've had this book for some years now and it's one of the best pure "browsing" art books around - lots of excellent plates and solid commentaries. It's like a taking a virtual tour of two fantastic museums from the comfort of one's lap. When it comes to art, the French are our friends!