Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Through the 1990s and early 2000s, Belgian artist Berlinde De Bruyckere (b. 1964) made life-size, cast wax sculptures of bodies at rest and in motion, in agony and in ecstasy. She became a star of the contemporary art world due largely to these beautiful, unsettling sculptures that convey, at turns, the passion and the frailty of life. In 2013, her work shifted dramatically; she moved away from figurative work in an effort to expand the scope of her representation of pathos and vulnerability. She also returned to blankets, a motif of her early work--though, where these were once presented intact, they now appear distressed and rotting. Featuring 150 illustrations, this book offers a comprehensive presentation of her work since 2014, which includes not only sculpture but installation work and drawings.
Synopsis
Belgian artist Berlinde De Bruyckere has long been a leading light in the international contemporary art world whose sculptures, installations and drawings endeavour to find the meaning of humanity, physicality, suffering and vitality.
Conceived in the loneliness and isolation of the corona crisis, this book explores De Bruyckere's recent, never-before-seen work inspired by the figure of the angel as portrayed in myths, stories, literature and art history. According to Berlinde, an angel - with its warm, dark wings - provides protection, a refuge from fear. The angel guards against a lonely existence and, even more importantly, against a lonely death. It symbolises the fragile line De Bruyckere treads between artistic poeticism and engagement with current affairs.
Following two mid-career retrospectives illustrating the period 2000-2014, this publication showcases De Bruyckere latest artwork. It is an essential resource on an artist whose works constitute a provocative and influential addition to the contemporary art canon.
Synopsis
A comprehensive overview of renowned Belgian artist Berlinde De Bruyckere's work since 2014, inspired by the figure of the angel Belgian artist Berlinde De Bruyckere has long been a leading light in the international contemporary art world whose sculptures, installations and drawings endeavor to find the meaning of humanity, physicality, suffering and vitality.
Conceived in the loneliness and isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, this book explores De Bruyckere's recent, never-before-seen work inspired by the figure of the angel as portrayed in myths, stories, literature and art history. According to De Bruyckere, an angel--with its warm, dark wings--provides protection, a refuge from fear. The angel guards against a lonely existence and, even more importantly, against a lonely death. It symbolizes the fragile line De Bruyckere treads between artistic poeticism and engagement with current affairs.
This volume will serve as an essential resource on an artist whose works constitute a provocative and influential addition to the contemporary art canon.