Customer Reviews

Julian Schnabel

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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.

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.

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

This is an ellegant addition to any persons collection. Well aware you are I imagine of your familiarity with Julian Schnabels paintings, so I won't ramble on here. This is a smaller publication containing plenty of examples of his work, as well as writing by Julian regarding his work that gives fine insight.

While Schnabel's latter day ressurection as a cinéaste (Basquiat, Antes que Anochezca) has proved he has a modicum of intelligence, his 'art' was just so much product for 80s New Yorkers - it has not a whit of imagination, irony, vision, truth, beauty - anhything, in fact, that might cause it to linger in the mind. Whatever their flaws (and they are legion) Koons and Serrano are Titans compared to this dross

This book is awesome. For fans of artists who work LARGE and loose. If you have noticed the reactions to this book are very polarized, people seem to either love or hate it. I love it and feel the haters just don't get modern art. There are so many colorplates you just keep turning pages impressed with the wide range and amount of work this artist has done.

What a fabulous book of this monsterous artist. Very large paintings deserve a very large book. This book not only has photos of a whole lot of his artworks. But it also has many installation photos which give the viewer a sense of just how big and bold these paintings and sculptures are in real life. If only I could get to see more of his work in person. Preferrably the Zeus & Duende and Hat Full of Rain paintings. Along with his older black and white paintings which are rendered beautifully in this context. I only wish it had more writings by Julian. But hey if it's his writings you want, you can't beat C.V.J. It's a great book about his life as an artist. And also has some fantastic insights into the world of art.

The reason there exists no body of critical literature on Julian Schnabel is simply because his art is so blatantly uncompelling, mediocre, and self-seeking, that no one has bothered in the past three decades to waste time writing about it. Nor will you find any illuminating text here, either (one imagines there is really nothing much to say about paintings this bad anyway) -- just a few Rolling Stone-esque photos of the artist to prove his hipness . . . Painting is still cool, right?

if you have heard of Schnabel, the illustrations in this book will persuade you that it's best not to see his work.

So, I'm a professional art handler, artist, and closet art historian who has come into contact with my fair share of Schnabels. All I can say is his work can tend to be filed in the "total crap" column. Most of his stuff obviously took a hilariously small amount of effort on his part, considering he probably hasn't stretched his own canvases in twenty years. And squeezing some canvas pliers and grunting once every 6 months doesn't count.

I don't own this book, but I have perused its contents at one of Schnabel's galleries. Pretty much, if your work doesn't look better when put in the context of the "fancy-pants coffee table art book", then you're pretty much lost as an artist. And that's where I place Schnabel. His checkerboard and neon pink and green streaked 80's boat sailed long ago.

But, alas, he doesn't have to sulk in his studio while watching reruns of "Head of the Class". Instead, he's surrounded himself with an army of knowledgeless, subservient gallery owners who, in a desperate attempt to proclaim Julian Schnabel the Messiah of modern sensibilities, would go as far as to have him curate a show of even crappier work done by his brother-in-law. (No, seriously. Look it up.)

So he gets a hundred g's a painting, and we get to lower our standards.