From Library Journal
Those who haven't heard of Nauman soon will. Art world insiders and distinguished academics invoke the names of Duchamp, Johns, and Man Ray when discussing his work. Nauman's oeuvre of conceptual exploration-whether of his body's mundane movements or of society's ability to perceive-is so singular and diverse as to make any categorization seem hasty. Nauman's visual notions have been realized in such media as photography, drawing, video, neon sculpture, and gallery environments. He is a prolific alchemist endlessly duped by the unsatisfied philosopher in himself. The publication of Bruce Nauman: A Catalogue Raisonne coincides with a major traveling retrospective (Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Washington, New York), yet it is far more than a museum catalog. In addition to the dense illustrated exhibition catalog, this handsome volume contains a 156-page catalogue raisonne and a comprehensive bibliography. The four essays are insightful, scholarly, and rich with background information but tend to focus on the achievement rather than the concept. Since the subject matter will reward those who invest study, on the whole the format is ideal. Though the essays are not uniformly enlightening, their specific references to individual art pieces will at least serve as a trail of crumbs for most readers. Essential for all art collections. Bruce Nauman: 25 Years is a pleasing, if fragile, oversized catalogue containing mostly black-and-white photo-collages of installations and ephemera from the artist's last quarter century with the Leo Castelli Gallery. It includes two foldout color plates and reprints of art magazine reviews. As a companion to the catalogue raisonne, it is somewhat useful for the reviews. On its own, it is merely a souvenir program.
Douglas McClemont, New York
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Douglas McClemont, New York
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
