Synopses & Reviews
This stunning exhibition catalogue celebrates in-depth for the first time Richard Diebenkorn's seminal Ocean Park works, serving as a major reference and a source of new scholarship on the series. As he traversed the worlds of abstract expressionism and figurative painting, Diebenkorn became one of America's most beloved postwar artists. The Ocean Park series, begun in 1967and comprising works in a variety of media, is arguably the most celebrated of his illustrious career. This book features beautifully reproduced works that radiate with color, allowing readers to appreciate the artist's evolving palette as well as his brilliant geometric explorations. The paintings, prints, drawings, and collages that make up the series are examined from diverse perspectives in essays that bring to light new influences and conceptual frameworks that reposition the Ocean Park series, as well as the artist's role in the history of postwar art. The result is a timely re-examination of a major body of work that will excite the numerous fans of this quintessential California artist.
Review
"[a] luminous book..."
David Coggins, www.huffingtonpost.com, 1/12/12
Review
"Seminal artwork from one of California's best-known artists is gathered here in this beautifully reproduced exhibition catalog."
Los Angeles Times, 12/4/11
Synopsis
Beloved artist Richard Diebenkorn (1922andndash;1993) is best known for paintings that powerfully evoke the California coast from San Francisco to Los Angeles. A West Coast native, Diebenkorn captured the light and color of the land and sea in a way that resonates with anyone who has spent time there. This volume contains a biographical introduction by Sarah C. Bancroft, an essay on Diebenkornandrsquo;s influences by Steven Nash, and an essay on Diebenkornandrsquo;s works on paper by Edith Devaney. Together these bring the artistandrsquo;s rich, four-decade-long career into focus. The book covers Diebenkornandrsquo;s three distinct periods, which saw him gain recognition as a leading Abstract Expressionist in the early 1950s, then turn to figurative painting, before embarking on a highly successful period of abstract paintings and drawingsandmdash; the Ocean Park Series. It is the perfect introduction to the work of this seminal California artist.
About the Author
Sarah C. Bancroft is associate director of curatorial affairs at the Austin, Texas, art non-profit Fluent-Collaborative. Steven Nash is JoAnn McGrath executive director of Palm Springs Art Museum. Edith Devaney is head of summer exhibition and curator of contemporary projects at the Royal Academy of Arts.