Synopses & Reviews
ART
“Grey’s vision of a flawed but perfectible mankind stands as an antidote to the cynicism and spiritual malaise prevalent in much contemporary art.”
The New York Times
“Alex Grey’s art will bring you face to face with your soul and move you to a new level of enlightenment.”
Deepak Chopra, author of The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success
“Alex Grey is making some of the most beautifully refined imagist work in the country today.”
Walter Hopps, senior curator, Guggenheim Museum and Menil Collection
“Grey’s work, like all great transcendental art, is not merely symbolic or imaginary: it is a direct invitation to recognize and realize a deeper dimension of our very own being.”
Ken Wilber, author of The Simple Feeling of Being
Every once in a great while an artist emerges who does more than simply reflect the social trends of the time. Such an artist is able to transcend established thinking and help us redefine ourselves and our world. Today, a growing number of art critics, philosophers, and spiritual seekers believe that they have found that vision in the art of Alex Grey.
Grey’s art leads us on a transformative journey through the opacity and darkness of the material world to the recovery of our divinely illumined core. Images of becoming, of existential pain, search and confusion, love, death, and transcendence are icons in the long corridors of Grey’s creative odyssey. From his earliest self-portraits and paintings of skeletons, to his most recent universal beings gridded with fire and eyes, Grey brings us an ever-deepening visual contemplation on the nature of personal and transpersonal identity.
Transfigurationsis a continuation of the dialogue between body and soul begun in Grey’s first book Sacred Mirrors--one of the most successful art books of the 1990s. Transfigurationsincludes all of Grey’s major works completed in the following decade, presented here in 202 color reproductions and 93 black-and-white images. These works include the masterful seven-paneled Buddhist altarpiece Nature of Mind; World Soul, a bronze sculpture of a divine being that symbolically encompasses all realms of consciousness; and Cosmic Christ, a vision of Christ that embraces all religions and the countless dimensions of the universe.
An essay by renowned author and transpersonal psychologist Stephen Larsen provides a biographical sketch of the artist’s creative process, struggling with his demons and glimpsing the light of the beyond within. Grey’s early forays into dark, transgressive performance art and his later theophanic installations are all documented in a special twenty-page performance section. Art critic Donald Kuspit elucidates Grey’s primary subject, mystical light, as it manifests through his unique approach to the human figure. A conversation between noted philosopher Ken Wilber and the artist explores the exciting possibilities of art serving as a vehicle for transformation. Albert Hofmann, the chemist who discovered LSD, writes the foreword that places Grey’s work at the conjunction of science and mysticism.
Grey’s paintings offer the viewer unforgettable glimpses of transfiguration, as bodies become translucent to the light of Spirit, transparent to the ground of being. The occurrence of beholding and becoming “the light”is a phenomenon that is described in all religions and wisdom paths. Grey’s “X-ray”visions show the complex interplay of the anatomical body and the glowing subtle energies of the soul, unveiling the relationship between our finite self and infinite spirit. Grey’s quest is toward an integrative art that visually unites body, mind, soul, and spirit and helps heal the alienation and fragmentation felt between the individual and the world.
ALEX GREY is the author of Sacred Mirrors: The Visionary Art of Alex Greyand The Mission of Art. His work has been exhibited around the world, including at the New Museum and Stux Gallery in New York City, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the Grand Palais in Paris, the São Paulo Biennial, and the ARK exhibition space in Tokyo. His art has also been featured in venues as diverse as album covers for the Beastie Boys, Nirvana, and Tool; Newsweekmagazine; and the Discovery Channel. He lives in New York with his wife, artist Allyson Grey, and their daughter, actress Zena Grey.
Review
and#8220;Alex Greyand#8217;s visionary art gives form to what shamans see only with the eyes of the Soul. His work opens portals that allow us to perceive the luminous nature of life and of all creation.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Greyand#8217;s work, like all great transcendental art, is not merely symbolic or imaginary: it is a direct invitation to recognize and realize a deeper dimension of our very own being.and#8221;
Review
andquot;Greyand#8217;s vision of a flawed but perfectible mankind stands as an antidote to the cynicism and spiritual malaise prevalent in much contemporary art.and#8221;
Review
"Greys vision of a flawed but perfectible mankind stands as an antidote to the cynicism and spiritual malaise prevalent in much contemporary art.”
Review
“Greys work, like all great transcendental art, is not merely symbolic or imaginary: it is a direct invitation to recognize and realize a deeper dimension of our very own being.”
Review
“Alex Greys visionary art gives form to what shamans see only with the eyes of the Soul. His work opens portals that allow us to perceive the luminous nature of life and of all creation.”
Review
andquot;Alex Grey is making some of the most beautifully refined imagist work in the country today.andquot;
Review
"A beautiful, unusual work."
Review
andquot;Grey brings us an ever-deepening visual contemplation on the nature of personal and transpersonal identity.andquot;
Review
andquot;Grey's portrayals of human beings blend scientific exactitude with visionary depictions of universal life energy. . . . a rare artist embraced by critics, spiritual leaders, and the general public during his lifetime. Grey's art leads us on a transformative journey through the darkness of the material world to the divinely illumined core. . . . an ever-deepening visual contemplation on the nature of personal and transpersonal identity.andquot;
Review
andquot;Alex Grey's art will bring you face to face with your soul and move you to a new level of enlightenment.andquot;
Review
andquot;A beautiful, unusual work.andquot;
Synopsis
The most extensive collection of Greyandrsquo;s visionary artwork and lifeandrsquo;s journey in one volume andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andbull; Includes a foreword by Albert Hofmann and essays on Greyandrsquo;s work by renowned art critic Donald Kuspit, philosopher Ken Wilber, and Stephen Larsen, author of andlt;Iandgt;Joseph Campbell: A Fire in the Mindandlt;/Iandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andbull; 21,000 sold in hardcover since October 2001 andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Every once in a great while an artist emerges who does more than simply reflect the social trends of the time. Such an artist is able to transcend established thinking and help us redefine ourselves and our world. Today, a growing number of art critics, philosophers, and spiritual seekers believe that they have found that vision in the art of Alex Grey. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Transfigurationsandlt;/Iandgt;, the follow-up to Greyandrsquo;s andlt;Iandgt;Sacred Mirrors andlt;/Iandgt;(1991)--one of the most successful art books of the 1990s--includes all of Greyandrsquo;s major works completed in the following decade, including the masterful seven-paneled altarpiece andlt;Iandgt;Nature of Mind,andlt;/Iandgt; called andldquo;the grand climax of Greyandrsquo;s artandrdquo; by Donald Kuspit. His portrayals of human beings blend anatomical exactitude with visionary depictions of universal life energy. Alex Greyandrsquo;s striking artwork leads us on the soulandrsquo;s journey from material world encasement to recovery of the divinely illuminated core.
Synopsis
The most extensive collection of Grey’s visionary artwork and life’s journey in one volume
•Includes a foreword by Albert Hoffmann and essays on Grey’s work by renowned art critic Donald Kuspit, philosopher Ken Wilber, and Stephen Larsen, author of Joseph Campbell: A Fire in the Mind
•21,000 sold in hardcover since October 2001
Every once in a great while an artist emerges who does more than simply reflect the social trends of the time. Such an artist is able to transcend established thinking and help us redefine ourselves and our world. Today, a growing number of art critics, philosophers, and spiritual seekers believe that they have found that vision in the art of Alex Grey.
Transfigurations, the follow-up to Grey’s Sacred Mirrors (1991)--one of the most successful art books of the 1990s--includes all of Grey’s major works completed in the following decade, including the masterful seven-paneled altarpiece Nature of Mind,called “the grand climax of Grey’s art”by Donald Kuspit. His portrayals of human beings blend anatomical exactitude with visionary depictions of universal life energy. Alex Grey’s striking artwork leads us on the soul’s journey from material world encasement to recovery of the divinely illuminated core.
Synopsis
The most extensive collection of Greys visionary artwork and lifes journey in one volume
• Includes a foreword by Albert Hoffmann and essays on Greys work by renowned art critic Donald Kuspit, philosopher Ken Wilber, and Stephen Larsen, author of Joseph Campbell: A Fire in the Mind
• 21,000 sold in hardcover since October 2001
Every once in a great while an artist emerges who does more than simply reflect the social trends of the time. Such an artist is able to transcend established thinking and help us redefine ourselves and our world. Today, a growing number of art critics, philosophers, and spiritual seekers believe that they have found that vision in the art of Alex Grey.
Transfigurations, the follow-up to Greys Sacred Mirrors (1991)--one of the most successful art books of the 1990s--includes all of Greys major works completed in the following decade, including the masterful seven-paneled altarpiece Nature of Mind, called “the grand climax of Greys art” by Donald Kuspit. His portrayals of human beings blend anatomical exactitude with visionary depictions of universal life energy. Alex Greys striking artwork leads us on the souls journey from material world encasement to recovery of the divinely illuminated core.
About the Author
Alex Grey is the author of andlt;Iandgt;Sacred Mirrorsandlt;/Iandgt; and andlt;Iandgt;The Mission of Artandlt;/Iandgt;. His work has graced the album covers of Nirvana and the Beastie Boys, has appeared in andlt;Iandgt;Newsweekandlt;/Iandgt;, and has been exhibited around the world, including the New Museum and Stux Gallery in New York City, the Grand Palais in Paris, and the ARK exhibition space in Tokyo. In 1999 the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego honored Grey with a mid-career retrospective. He lives in New York with his wife, artist Allyson Grey, and their daughter, actress Zena Grey.
Table of Contents
andlt;bandgt;Forewordand#160;andlt;/bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#160;and#160;and#160; Albert Hofmann andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;Transfigurationsandlt;/bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#160;and#160;and#160; andlt;Bandgt;An Artist's Journeyandlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Stephen Larsenandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;and#160;and#160;and#160; andlt;iandgt;Early Yearsandlt;/iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;and#160;and#160;and#160; andlt;iandgt;Performance Ritesandlt;/iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;and#160;and#160;and#160; Hieros Gamos: Sacralizing Relationshipandlt;/iandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Interview with Alex and Allyson Greyandlt;BRandgt;and#160;and#160;and#160; andlt;iandgt;The Sacred Mirrorsandlt;/iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;and#160;and#160;and#160; Transfigurationandlt;BRandgt;andlt;/iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;Alex Grey's Mysticismandlt;/bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#160;and#160;and#160; Donald Kuspitandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;Art and the Integral Visionandlt;/bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#160;and#160;and#160; A Conversation with Ken Wilber and Alex Greyandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;Nature of Mindandlt;BRandgt;andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;Chapel of Sacred Mirrorsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;World Soulandlt;BRandgt;andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;Cosmic Christandlt;BRandgt;andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;Acknowledgmentsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;/bandgt;