Vitamin P (Hardcover)

by Barry Schwabsky (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"... the most lavish, comprehensive and useful guide to the new painting." Art Monthly "... a handsome, dazzlingly produced art book.... Vitamin P is better than a biennial, a convincing show of painting's continuing ability to reinvent itself..." Vogue "[Vitamin P] demonstrates the continual reinvention and expansion of painting, be it abstract, figurative or some new hybrid.... This informative, visually striking volume is an up-to-date guide to today's painting." Art in America "[Vitamin P] provides unusual depth for a survey of this scope.... Barry Schwabsky's perceptive introductory essay provides an excellent map of how we got here..." Flash Art "Vitamin P offers heaping servings of some of the liveliest, occasionally strangest work in painting today, accompanied by images that are stunningly printed and laid out.... Vitamin P should be in every library where contemporary art is a matter of interest or even dispute." Artnews "Forget C, D and E - P is the only supplement you'll ever need." Art Review" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description
Vitamin P is an image-filled book that provides an international overview of the state of painting today. Documenting the most recent concerns, ideas and trends, Vitamin P explores the work of a vibrant new generation that is revitalizing this traditional, but continually updated, medium. Included are 114 of painting's leading practitioners, who were nominated by esteemed critics, curators and other experts from around the world. Each artist is represented by numerous examples of his or her work, accompanied by an explanatory text and short biography. Vitamin P illustrates the richness, eclecticism and dynamism of painting today. It is a critical sourcebook and reference work for seasoned art world veterans as well as newcomers to contemporary art.

A stimulating introductory text is provided by Barry Schwabsky, who writes regularly for Artforum. He is currently Visiting Lecturer at Goldsmiths College in London.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press (September 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 071484246X
• ISBN-13: 978-0714842462
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 10.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #641,645 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tons of information, great resource, February 14, 2006

By	Devoted Satellite (washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vitamin P: New Perspectives in Painting (Paperback)

This is an intense book filled with a lot of beautiful reproductions from some of the best contemporary painters today. It is a great resource for artists and art lovers alike. I highly recommend it; you will own this book for years and still be able to flip through it and find something new because there are SO MANY artists in it!

(On negative aspect of the book, for some people, is that the type is very small and might be hard to read for people with vision problems. This didn't really both me though.)

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a feast of wonderful art!, August 18, 2006

By	Nina Clock (NE Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vitamin P: New Perspectives in Painting (Paperback)

As an artist, I'm glad I live now instead of at some earlier time in history because today's artist is a wonderful combination of social activist and priest or priestess. A book like Vitamin P contains a superb sampling of a huge number of the world's most talented contemporary artists, and in my opinion, everyone who wishes to understand and be inspired by the contemporary art scene could profit from owning a copy.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource Book For Painters, January 1, 2009

By	S. Deluca "Grimoire Author" (New England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Vitamin P: New Perspectives in Painting (Paperback)

I wanted a resource book that spoke about contemporary painters of today. I was tired of walking into chain book stores and seeing shelves filled with books detailing works by painters such as Picasso, Marc Chagall, O'Keefe and other wonderful artists who molded the richness and wonder of modern painting. I wanted to know what's new in the art world without resorting to glossy art magazines and trips to distant galleries. I wanted to see more works by female painters. Vitimin P is my answer. I'm glad to see that female painters such as Cecily Brown, Lucy McKenzie, Elizabeth Peyton and Karen Kilimnik are highlighted in this book. The brilliant Marlene Dumas is also included within the pages of Vitamin P. Talented men such as Denis Castellas and Merlin Carpenter are givin equal time. The book is evidence that painting is alive, evolving and strong today.