An American sculptor, painter, and installation artist, Paul Thek (1933–1988) is primarily known for hyper-realistic works of human body parts executed in fleshlike beeswax and for his strongly symbolic, room-size installations constructed from transitory materials. A major figure on the 1960s New York art scene, Thek also spent time in Europe, where he paved the way for artists adopting collaborative strategies. Published to accompany Thek’s first retrospective in the United States, this landmark publication includes nearly 300 chronologically arranged illustrations of sculptures, paintings, prints, and other works featured in the exhibition as well as four special in-depth image sections focusing on key installations, projects, and pages from the artists journals. An extensive selection of documentary photographs, many never before published, illuminate Thek’s artistic aesthetic and production process. This overdue acknowledgment of Thek’s brief but broad-reaching career will be the authoritative volume on the artist for years to come.
Co-authored by Elisabeth Sussman and Lynn Zelevansky. Accompanied exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, October 21, 2010–January 9, 2011; Carnegie Museum of Art, February 5–May 1, 2010; and Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, May 22–September 4, 2011.
2010; hardcover; 304 pages with 316 color and black-and-white illustrations; available from the Carnegie Museum of Art Store and Yale University Press; ISBN 978-0-300-16595-1