Synopses & Reviews
Per Kirkeby (b. 1938) is Scandinavia's most highly acclaimed artist since August Strindberg and Asger Jorn. His early training as a geologist is evident in his richly layered canvases, which are structured like geological strata, constantly in flux, expressing movement and change over time. His striking bronze sculptures of fragmented body parts, reminiscent of Rodin, are similarly based in a deep dialogue with nature.
Per Kirkeby: Paintings and Sculpture is an essential introduction to the work of this important contemporary artist, who also is a filmmaker, writer, and poet. Klaus Ottmann provides an overview of Kirkeby's career, from his early association with Minimalism and the Fluxus movement in the 1960s to his recent work, which marries the poetic and metaphysical to the scientific investigation of object matter. This handsome book also features an interview by Dorothy Kosinski with the artist that highlights his unique approach.
Review
andldquo;This well-wrought introduction to the Danish painter and sculptor affords sound passage into Kirkebyandrsquo;s stirring but often oblique world.andrdquo;andmdash;Publishers Weekly
Review
and#8220;Wild energy is unshackled in Per Kirkebyand#8217;s paintings: earthquakes, infernos, uprooted trees. . . . his paintings suggest a geological layering of time, of ancient unseen forces at work. . . . and his sculptures look yanked from the earthand#8217;s core.and#8221;and#8212;Dana Jennings,and#160;
New York TimesAbout the Author
Dorothy Kosinski is director of The Phillips Collection. Klaus Ottmann is director of the Center for the Study of Modern Art and curator at large at The Phillips Collection.