Gunhild Bauer Books

Alex Katz (born 1927) is best known as a painter--specifically, as a painter of his family and his distinguished circle of friends, including poets, writers and artists. In the early 1950s, he began experimenting with printmaking, but it was not until the mid 1960s that he intensified his interest and production in the medium. Pushing at the limits of various printing techniques, Katz tested out pictorial ideas first conceived for his paintings, retaining planes of matte color but further simplifying his forms and dramatically cropping his images. These reduced compositions were wonderfully compatible with the graphic clarity of printmaking, and by effectively translating his paintings into prints, the artist achieved what he called the "final synthesis of painting." This publication provides insight into an often-neglected yet vital aspect of Katz's work, from the early 1950s to the present day.

This kaleidoscopic exhibition catalog celebrates Lichtenstein's multifaceted career--from his iconic achievements in the Pop Art movement and beyond. Published to mark the centennial of Lichtenstein's birth, this retrospective volume is brimming with brilliant reproductions that highlight the entirety of the artist's oeuvre. It features the acclaimed works that helped establish 1960s pop art--panels inspired by comic strips and advertising, which send up societal stereotypes. It looks at his pioneering use of painted benday dots and carefully drawn and in-filled brushstrokes, his interiors and landscapes, re-stagings of still lifes, his expansion into sculpture and ceramics, and works that pay homage to famous artists such as Picasso, Monet, and Van Gogh. Throughout this magnificent catalog readers will come to appreciate not only Lichtenstein's vibrant and dynamic use of color, line, and texture, but also how his continuing confrontation with the visual language of popular culture and consumerism continues to resonate today. With contributions by Gunhild Bauer, Avis Berman, Jack Cowart, Thomas Hecken, Angela Stief, and Michel Thévoz.

Max Ernst (1891-1976) gehört zu den vielseitigsten Künstlern der Moderne. Nach seinen Anfängen als Dadaist in Köln wurde er bald zu einem der Pioniere des Surrealismus in Paris. Als fortwährender Erfinder neuer Figuren, Formen und Techniken hat sich Max Ernst auch später ständig weiterorientiert. Dabei hat er ein einzigartiges Werk geschaffen, dessen Entwicklung vom bewegten Leben und den wechselnden Aufenthaltsorten des Künstlers in Europa und Amerika mitgeprägt ist. Sein Erfindungsreichtum im Umgang mit Bild- und Inspirationstechniken, die Brüche zwischen Werkphasen und der Wechsel der Themen beeindrucken immer wieder. Die Publikation zeigt das mannigfaltige Œuvre des Künstlers in seinem gesamten Reichtum anhand einer exemplarischen Auswahl von über 150 Gemälden, Zeichnungen, Collagen und Skulpturen, die den Werkprozess zwischen Rückgriffen auf Vergangenes, dem damaligen politischen Zeitgeschehen und einem prophetisch-visionären Blick in die Zukunft erlebbar machen. Ausstellungen: Albertina, Wien 23.1.-5.5.2013 Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel 26.5.-8.9.2013