Gordon Matta-Clark: The Beginning of Trees and the End
Language: English
Published by David Zwirner Books, 2016
- Hardcover
- Used
Seller: Hiding Place Books, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.Hiding Place Books
AbeBooks seller since November 12, 2014
Condition: Used - As new
£ 30.80
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
Still in shrinkwrap.
Seller Inventory # ABE-1783096566910
- Title
- Gordon Matta-Clark: The Beginning of Trees and the End
- Author
- Matta-Clark, Gordon
- Publisher
- David Zwirner Books
- Publication year
- 2016
- Condition
- As new
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 1941701256
- ISBN 13
- 9781941701256
- Item weight
- 1,340 grams
- Dimensions
- 23.6 centimeters width by 30.8 centimeters height by 2 centimeters depth
Well known for his radical “anarchitectural” interventions throughout the 1970s, Gordon Matta-Clark was always deeply, though less publicly, committed to drawing. His works on paper―which span three-dimensional reliefs, calligraphy, and notebook entries―capture the interdisciplinary spirit that defined the art world in the 1970s. Intricate and concise, they testify to his interest in the crossovers between visual and performance arts, as well as the broader integration within his oeuvre of the natural and built environment.
This catalogue presents in vibrant detail selections from Matta-Clark’s Cut Drawings, Energy Rooms, Energy Trees, and his own “calligraphy,” many of which have never been published. Perhaps the best known of the group, the Cut Drawings explore parallel, smaller-format versions of his physical interventions in architecture; slicing meticulously through several layers of paper, gesso, or cardboard, Matta-Clark created sculptural flat works that emphasized the voids created by the extraction of matter. Drawings with his own “calligraphy” emphasize the medium of drawing as an independent form. Abstract letters make up a code that remains indecipherable, but points toward a visionary longing to invent new languages and structures of experience. Some of the most elaborate and colorful compositions include trees, several of which refer explicitly to Matta-Clark’s Tree Dance performance at Vassar College in upstate New York in 1971. In full-color plates, the reader can see the physical structure of his trees “dissolving” into kinetic energy and, in some drawings, becoming reduced to a multitude of arrows. Near-abstract tree shapes also incorporate his calligraphic marks, with branches constructed from imaginary letters, again emphasizing the importance of language to a new visual experience. Matta-Clark’s notebooks, which he often insisted on completing in a single sitting, are presented in elegantly curated groups. Combining elements of Surrealist automatic drawing with an interest in choreography, these works appealed to performance artists at the time―including Laurie Anderson and Trisha Brown. This unparalleled presentation of Matta-Clark’s drawings is accompanied by new and exciting scholarship by Briony Fer, as well as a conversation between Jessamyn Fiore and contemporary artist Sarah Sze; it marks a major contribution to the literature on this highly influential artist.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Briony Fer is an art historian who has written extensively on modern and contemporary art. Her research interests have consistently moved between the history of the avant-gardes and the work of contemporary artists, including Gabriel Orozco, Roni Horn, David Batchelor, and Tacita Dean. Her books include On Abstract Art (1997), The Infinite Line (2004), and Eva Hesse: Studiowork (2009). She has also organized exhibitions of Eva Hesse’s studiowork as well as, most recently, an exhibition of the work of Gabriel Orozco, accompanied by a monograph Gabriel Orozco: thinking in circles (2013). In spring 2014, she was Kirk Varnedoe Professor at the Institute of Fine Arts in New York. She is Professor of History of Art at University College London and a Fellow of the British Academy.
Jessamyn Fiore is a New York–based curator and writer as well as the co-director of the Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark. She is the curator of the Jean-Paul Najar Foundation opening in Dubai in November 2015. She received an MA in contemporary art theory, practice, and philosophy from The National College of Art and Design, Dublin in 2009. Exhibitions curated include 112 Greene Street: The Early Years (1970–1974), David Zwirner, New York (2011), which led to her editing the exhibition catalogue; Gordon Matta-Clark: Above and Below, David Zwirner, New York (2013); and II Machines: Clive Murphy & Trevor Tweeton, Knockdown Center, Queens (2015). Her original one-act play, Blast from The Past, based on the writings of Robert Smithson and Matta-Clark, was published in 2014.
Artist Sarah Sze lives and works in New York. She has a BA from Yale University, 1991 and an MFA from the School of Visual Arts, New York, 1997. In 2013, Sze represented the United States at the 55th Venice Biennale. She has had major solo exhibitions at the Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia; MUDAM, Luxembourg; Asia Society, New York; Malmo Konsthall, Sweden; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; and the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London. Sze is a 2003 John and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellow.
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Hiding Place Books
Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.
AbeBooks seller since November 12, 2014
Shipping rates within U.S.A.
| Item | 5 to 14 business days | 3 to 7 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 3.74 | £ 5.98 |
Payment methods
Store description
Antiquarian and out-of-print stock in all field, with a specialty in poetry and academic books. Always buying good books! Please note that I do not ship on weekends.
Seller's business information
Hiding Place Books
PA, U.S.A.
Terms of sale
We guarantee the condition of every book as it's described on the AbeBooks web sites. If you're dissatisfied with your purchase (Incorrect Book/Not as Described/Damaged) or if the order hasn't arrived, you're eligible for a refund within 30 days of the estimated delivery date. If you've changed your mind about a book that you've ordered, please use the Ask bookseller a question link to contact us and we'll respond within 2 business days. This does not affect your statutory consumer rights including the right to withdraw from the contract and your statutory warranty rights.
Right of withdrawal
If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
Information regarding the right of withdrawal
Statutory right to withdraw
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
Effects of withdrawal
If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to Hiding Place Books, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of withdrawal
The right of withdrawal does not apply to:
- The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
- The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.
Shipping terms
Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.