Thomas Hirschhorn (Contemporary Artists (Phaidon)) [Paperback]

Benjamin H.D. Buchloh (Author), Alison M. Gingeras (Author), Carlos Basualdo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2004 | Series: Contemporary Artists (Phaidon)

The work of Thomas Hirshhorn (b. Bern, Switzerland, 1957), recently on view at such major international art venues as the Tate Modern (2003), Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris, 2001), and the Art Institute of Chicago (2000), are giant, labour-intensive, room-sized collages of low grade materials, that is to say, rubbish. Part-text, part-sculpture, part-junkheap, incorporating furniture, cardboard boxes, wooden frames and more, these baroque installations reflect an extraordinarily prolific imagination. Their sheer volume and the time it takes to read and see these massive, detailed installations make them unforgettable, often quite humorous experiences unlike the work of any other contemporary artist. Included in Phaidon's Fresh Cream in 2000, Thomas Hirschhorn is among the most significant artists to have emerged internationally in the 1990s. He has exhibited in the world's key art surveys (among others, Documenta 11, Kassel, 2003; and the 48th Venice Biennale, 1999) and art spaces, and was recipient of the prestigious Prix Marcel Duchamp, Paris, 2001. Thomas Hirschhorn is a Swiss-born artist who emerged in the 1990s art world, and known for his giant, labour-intensive, room-sized co

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Benjamin HD Buchloh (Survey) is an art historian and critic, and a Professor of 20th-century and post-war art history at Barnard College, Columbia University in New York. An editor of October magazine, Buchloh has published his collected essays in Neo-Avantgarde and Culture Industry (2000). These are followed by a second volume, Formalism and Historicity (2004). Alison Gingeras (Interview) is curator of contemporary art at the Musee national d'art moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. There she has curated exhibitions including Thomas Hirschhorn's 'Skulptur-Sortier-Station' (2001) and the group show 'Dear Painter, Paint Me' (co-curator, 2002). In 2004 she curates a project with Hirschhorn outside Paris. Her writings appear regularly in such magazines as Parkett, French Vogue and Artforum.. Carlos Basualdo (Focus) is a poet, art critic and curator. A member of the Documenta11, Kassel (2002) curatorial team, he was also curator of 'The Structure of Survival' at the 50th Venice Biennale (2003). Among other exhibitions he has curated are 'Worthless/Invaluable' at the Moderna Galerija in Ljubljana, Slovenia (2000), and 'Da Adversidade Vivemos' at the Arc/Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (2001).. Hirschhorn has created a unique Artist's Choice: 'Emergency Library' is a photographic series of book covers, chosen and photographed by the artist, that reflects the far-ranging literary sources behind the artist's installations, which often include such libraries. This desert-island selection presents some forty books beloved by the artist: from monographs on Andy Warhol, Meret Oppenheim and Casper David Friedrich; to the novel The Tanner Siblings by Robert Walser; to the critical theory of Slavoj Zizek. Publications in various forms - artist's books, pamphlets, leaflets, posters - are an indispensable side to Thomas Hirschhorn's democratic art. The Artist's Writings here include a letters written to curators, project notes and a controversial statement on the notion of 'politically correct' art.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714842737
• ISBN-13: 978-0714842738
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 9.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,209,478 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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