This book is devoted to Tom Friedman’s exceptional body of work over the past nineteen years. Starting with commonplace objects like plastic cups, construction paper and Hefty garbage bags, this prolific artist transforms the often overlooked into playfully philosophical works that are ordinary and extraordinary at the same time.
Friedman forces his viewers to reconsider the criteria for what is called “art” by exploring the material qualities of the object and the experiential process of making art through repetition, mutation, and dimension. While his work can demand a level of trust and reflection, it often rewards the viewer by sparking a childlike curiosity that sets one free to the beautifully endless potential of the everyday.
The book features over 250 color illustrations and encompasses 200 artworks that reflect Friedman’s humor, his painstaking craftsmanship, and the unending inventiveness that distinguishes his work.
Arthur Danto, an art scholar and philosopher, is the author of more than twenty books, including the 1984 essay entitled "The End of Art." He is Emeritus Johnsonian Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University. Ralph Rugoff is the author of several celebrated monographs and publications and currently serves as the director of the CCA Watt Institute for Contemporary Arts and the Hayward Gallery in London.
