Julian Schnabel [Hardcover]

Julian Schnabel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 4, 2003

Designed by Julian Schnabel, this volume presents more than 300 of the artist's works - many never exhibited or published before. Beginning with Schnabel's earliest sketches and paintings from the late-1960s, the book moves on to his rise to the top of the art world of the 1980s, with works such as "Portrait of Andy Warhol" from 1982 (one of many critically acclaimed broken-plate paintings included here) and "Pope Clement of Rome" from 1987. The book then covers Schnabel's later paintings, including the massively scaled "Big Girls" series, and work in photography, sculpture and film. More artist scrapbook than monograph, the book's text consists of telling excerpts from Schnabel's own interviews, essays and notes, along with works of poetry and fiction that have inspired his work.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Julian Schnabel burst on the neo-expressionist art scene of the early 1980s with huge, arresting paintings on collaged shards of smashed plates. A swaggering and contentious figure whose art no longer occupies center stage, he is probably best known today as a successful filmmaker. All the more reason, perhaps, for him to shore up his reputation by co-designing a mammoth book of his life and art. Julian Schnabel dispenses with commentary, except for the artist's own brief, broad-brushed introduction. Even the titles of his works are relegated to the illustrated index, which--despite Schnabel's proclivity for unconventional surfaces--omits any mention of media. Nearly 400 full-color reproductions trace Schnabel's output from 1976 to the present, interspersed with photographs of the artist, his family, and off-camera moments from the making of Before Night Falls, his film about the gay Cuban writer Reynaldo Arenas. Of course, all the famous Schnabel preoccupations are on full view, from the persistent references to Catholic ritual to the phallic imagery and the invocations of his wife Olantz. The newest mega-series, "Big Girl Paintings"--each face featuring a horizontal swipe of paint in lieu of eyes—-seems a hollow echo of the lively portraits of friends and family from the 1980s and 1990s. But die-hard Schnabel devotees will adore this lavish volume, which accompanies an international traveling exhibition that opens in January 2004 at the Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt, Germany. (U.S. venues have not been announced.) —Cathy Curtis

About the Author

Julian Schnabel's paintings, sculptures, and works on paper have been the subject of retrospective exhibitions at The Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; The Tate Gallery, London; The Whitechapel Gallery, London; The Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; The Stadtische Kunsthalle, Dusseldorf; The Whitney Museum of American Art; The Museo De Monterrey, Mexico; The Tamayo Museum, Mexico City; The Foundation Joan Miro, Barcelona; and Galleria d'Arte Moderna di Bologna, Italy. His work is included in the public collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; The Guggenheim Museums, New York and Bilbao; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Tate Gallery, London; The Metropolitan Museum, Tokyo; The Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid; The National Gallery, Washington D.C.; and the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. In addition to his success in the fine arts, Schnabel is also the writer and director of the feature film Basquiat (1996) and director of the critically acclaimed Before Night Falls (2001). He lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (November 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810946335
• ISBN-13: 978-0810946330
• Product Dimensions: 14.3 x 11.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #448,352 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brush strokes and raw painted color come alive, November 13, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Julian Schnabel (Hardcover)

Julian Schnabel is an extraordinary 368-page "coffee table" artbook featuring and showcasing the dramatic works of American artist Julian Schnabel flawlessly reproduced in vivid color. Brush strokes and raw painted color come alive with simple yet bold form, producing imagery that stays firmly in one's mind, in this superb presentation devoted entirely to Schnabel's art itself as beyond two pages of introduction there is no text present at all, save for (at the end of the book), a "Selected Exhibition History"; a "Selected Bibliography"; an comprehensive "Artwork Index" listing the titles of the artwork comprising this quite exceptional and highly recommended compendium.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant and Confounding Book, October 23, 2011

By 

Theseus "theseus" (US of A) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Julian Schnabel (Hardcover)

Schnabel inspires and infuriates, so it is worth noting that this book about Julian Schnabel is by Julian Schnabel. (Of course at this point in his career, it is also by his assistants and the editors.) Still, one gets a strong sense of the artist here -- and not merely from the images. This is a brilliantly executed book!

The book begins with a statement from Schnabel and then, without the normal "introduction" or "essay by distinguished gallerist," plunges into the pictures. The sequencing makes quite a bit of sense. Somehow. Along the way one encounters outrageously shabby b&w photographs of Schnabel, bits of Schnabel handwriting which illuminate and confuse matters, and many images of Schnabel works on site -- sometimes lit with less-than-perfect natural light. These are particularly wonderful.

The art is presented without titles, without references to the institution that owns it, and without the dimensions. This is just a big, honking book of art presented without the traditional contexts one usually finds in big, honking books of art.

At the very end of this book one gets an Exhibition History, a Bibliography, and an Artwork Index which provides details of each piece while reproducing it in 1/100th size.

As you might expect, this is a quality piece of work from Abrams: 370 pp, color illustrations throughout on heavy stock, with dustjacket, cloth over boards with a sewn binding. 7.5 pounds.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The essense of art, November 19, 2008

By 

Ran Sender - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Julian Schnabel (Hardcover)

This is a fantastic book that provides a comprehensive review of Schnabel's work. It is also a great display in the livingroom