Maria Muller-Scharek Boeken

Canadian-born Agnes Martin was one of the pre-eminent painters of the second half of the twentieth century, whose work has had a significant influence both on artists of her own time and for subsequent generations.

"Well known for his radical "anarchitectural" interventions throughout the 1970s, Gordon Matta-Clark (1943-78) was always deeply, though less publicly, committed to drawing. His works on paper - which span three-dimensional reliefs, calligraphy and notebook entries - capture the interdisciplinary spirit that defined the art world in the 1970s, testifying to his interest in the crossovers between visual and performance arts. This book documents his extraordinary accomplishment as a draftsman. Organized by theme, the catalogue presents selections from Matta-Clark's Cut Drawings, Energy Rooms, Energy Trees and his own "calligraphy," many of which have never been published. Perhaps the best known of the group, the Cut Drawings explore smaller-format versions of his architectural interventions; slicing meticulously through several layers of paper, gesso or cardboard, Matta-Clark created flat sculptural works that emphasized the voids created by extracting matter. Drawings with Matta-Clark's own "calligraphy" emphasize the medium of drawing as an independent form. Some of the most elaborate and colorful compositions include trees, several of which refer to Matta-Clark's Tree Dance performance at Vassar College in 1971. Near-abstract tree shapes also incorporate his calligraphic marks, with branches constructed from imaginary letters. Matta-Clark's Notebooks, which combine elements of Surrealist automatic drawing with an interest in choreography, appealed to performance artists, including Laurie Anderson and Trisha Brown. This unparalleled presentation of Matta-Clark's drawings is accompanied by new scholarship by Briony Fer, as well as an interview with artist Sarah Sze by Jessamyn Fiore, co-director of the Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark."--Amazon.com

Published by The Fruitmarket Gallery to accompany the exhibition, this major book by curator Briony Fer focuses on the themes and ideas in the exhibition. Placing the work, The Eye of Go, at the centre of her thought, Fer asks how far it is possible to think with the work rather than about it. Fully illustrated with many images published here for the first time and new photography made by the artist specially for the book, this is an important addition to current scholarship on Orozco's work.

Published in conjunction with the exhibition in Venice, held at Palazzo Pisani (S. Marina), 4 June-27 November 2011.