Synopses & Reviews
Annette Messagerandrsquo;s installations create a visually stunning space for contemplation about the reconstitution of gender in contemporary society. Throughout a forty-year career, Messager has engaged with a variety of media: In the 1970s, she worked mainly in collaged and knitted works, with stuffed birds as a recurring motif. Later, she broadened to media such as drawings, photographs, and installations with a strong focus on clothes and plush figures. A complex, pictorial language connects the French conceptual artistandrsquo;s work, as well as an overriding interest in how delicate components can be fragmented and recombined to form something new. and#160;
Published to accompany a major exhibition at the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Annette Messager: Exhibition/Exposition assembles a selection of the artistandrsquo;s works, including her most recent installations and celebrated pieces from across her career. With an essay by the exhibitionandrsquo;s curator, Florence Thurmes, and an interview with Messager by the museumandrsquo;s director, Marion Ackermann, the beautifully produced book provides an opportunity to rediscover this important contemporary artist.
Synopsis
The definitive monograph of Annette Messager, covering her multifaceted oeuvre from immersive installations to intricate taxidermy, now updated and expanded in collaboration with the artist. Annette Messagers original use of form and poetic power of communication place her among Europes leading contemporary artists. Her work experiments with a wide variety of media, from painting and sculpture to assemblage, photography, film, and embroidery. From her early works exploring fictional autobiography to her commanding, "penetrable" installations, her work is at once intimate and universal, using familiar objects to challenge conventional outlooks.A strong, visual work that provides a clear picture of the artists creative development, this edition encompasses her recent work, including the installation Casino at the 2005 Venice Biennale. Including a thirty-four page introductory portfolio, the book is organized thematically and incorporates first hand interviews with the artist and analyses of individual works. Completed by a full exhibition history and extensive bibliography, this is a must-read for anyone interested in current artistic developments in Europe.
About the Author
Founded in 1961, the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen is one of Germanyandrsquo;s most recognized art museums, dedicated to the display of the art collection of the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Table of Contents
Vorwort
Marion Ackermann and#160; Im Gesprand#228;ch
Annette Messager, Marion Ackermann
Der sezierte Blick
Florence Thurmes and#160; Works and#160; Translations and#160; Biography and#160; List of Exhibited Works