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Kurt Kauper: Paintings 2001-2007

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Kurt Kauper is an American figurative artist, only in his early 40s, who has gained attention not only for his skills in painting but for the social commentary they carry. In this slim catalogue KURT KAUPER: PAINTINGS 2001 -2007 he offers his nude paintings of hockey players, paintings that are larger than life in size and in impact. The paintings include full frontal nude views of Canadian and American hockey players such as Bobby Orr and Derek Sanderson, not during the game, but in the locker room, shaving before a mirror or just standing as if posing for a sculpture.

Kauper has stated 'I was interested in the way the male nude is received in our culture. I think that it's seen as something dangerous and threatening. And that's not at all true for the female nude. It's almost impossible to show a full-frontal male nude. To show a male nude is to suggest that men and masculinity are passive objects to be looked at and I don't think that our culture wants to think about men in those terms.' In addition to the paintings of hockey players this catalogue includes earlier paintings of movie star Cary Grant, posing with full frontal nudity in his home - works that obviously came form Kauper's vivid imagination. The results are at once impressive as paintings but also entertaining as well. The book is an elegant one in design and presentation and quality of reproduction of color. Adding considerably to the quality of the book are fine essays by Wayne Kestenbaum and Pepe Karmel. Grady Harp, May 11