On a Scale that Competes with the World: The Art of Edward and Nancy Reddin Kienholz (Hardcover)

by Robert L. Pincus (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
[Pincus] carefully situates the Kienholzes against the rapidly changing background of socially critical art of the past 35 years. -- San Francisco Chronicle Book Review

Product Description
A fully illustrated review of the contemporary artwork of Edward and Nancy Kienholz, which clarifies its importance in American art history and illuminates its critique of American society and culture. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 135 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (November 15, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520067304
• ISBN-13: 978-0520067301
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 10.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,573,620 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Mixed Media Art used as Social Criticism , October 8, 2008

By	BYF "Backyard Flix" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

From Front Jacket:

'On a Scale that Compete With the World' offers the first comprehensive view of a major oeuvre that spans the past three decades. Much of the art produced by Edward Kienholz and, later, by Keinholz and Nancy Reddin Kienholz has been exhibited and collected in Europe. It has received less critical attention than it deserves in the United States, largely because its 'literary' qualities ran counter to the predominant Minimalist aesthetic of 1960s American art. With this book, Robert Pincus clarifies the importance of the Kienholzes' work in American art history and interprets its deeply thoughtful critique of American society and culture.

Placing the Kienholzes' art in a broad cultural context, the author suggests that we view it against the backdrop of the soaring American optimism of the 19th century. The genre paintings of George Caleb Bingham and William Sidney Mount and the writings of Walt Whitman are vivid expressions of that spirit. In sharp contrast, the art of Kienholz and others of his generation radiates anger. But the outrage evident in Kiehnolz's early works -- 'The Illegal Operation,' 'The Wait,' and 'The State Hospital' are among the best known - is strongly social rather than political, Pincus maintains, with parallels in the writings of contemporaries such as William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg and Norman Mailer. Their anger springs from the perception that grand American ideals have been betrayed.

The art historical context of the Kienholzes' work is no less incisively portrayed in its regional, national and international dimensions. Pincus discusses their art in relation to other major assemblages, Minimalist objects, Pop Art, the related sculptures of George Segal, and Conceptual Art. He also provides extended discussions of pivotal works by Edward and Nancy Reddin Kienholz, from the early pieces through their work in the 1980s, which continues to explore such themes as the plight of the poor and the marginal, and the exploitation of women."

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The msot intelligent book on the artists; groundbreaking, June 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: On a Scale that Competes with the World: The Art of Edward and Nancy Reddin Kienholz (Paperback)

The most intelligent book on the artists. A groundbreaking study that is also highly readable.