What do you think?
Rate this book
Matthew Barney: The Cremaster Cycle
The definitive user's guide and then some to Matthew Barney's epic five-part epic film series, The Cremaster Cycle is filled with hundreds of Barney's fantastical images and surveys the project, which uses the biological model of sexual difference as its conceptual departure point. Three essays by Barney experts articulate the series' diverse themes and explore the artist's innovative aesthetic vocabulary; interviews with key collaborators, a composer, costume designer, make-up artist, technicians and actors reveal his working process. A trailblazing essay by Curator of Contemporary Art Nancy Spector charts Barney's work from the 1990s to the present and provides critical insights into the aesthetic vocabulary of his five Cremaster films, while Neville Wakefield's "Cremaster Glossary" illuminates the films' most far-flung references with citations from sources as diverse as Freud's psychoanalytic studies, Mormon law and lore, and hardcore music fanzines. In addition to stills from the five films--including the final episode, Cremaster 3 --the book features related sculptures, photographs, drawings and storyboards. For anyone intrigued by the Wagner of contemporary art, this is an atlas to his enticingly hypnotic worlds. Barney himself collaborated on all aspects of this extraordinary publication, including the selection of over 700 images, most of them never before published.
522 pages, Hardcover
First published July 22, 2002
2 people are currently reading
301 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 22, 2007
I travelled from San Diego to New York to see all five of the films in sequence, and picked up this book while there. The Cremaster cycle is pregnant with ambiguous meaning (the point of art, nowadays) so this book is, in my opinion, the only way to gain a comprehensive perspective on the work. Other useful features of this book is an illustrated essay of Barney's work, a "Cremaster Glossary"(less useful) and an essay on the meaning of Cremaster. I won't discuss the substance of that essay, but it is useful, if only to orient yourself to the imagery.
Perhaps because I got to see all five films in sequence and then had an opportunity to review the book afterwards, I don't think Cremaster is all that difficult to understand. Part of the problem is that he is engaged in fomenting ambiguity. I do believe that is possible to extract signifgant meanings from the Cremaster cycle. Might be a good idea to buy this in paperback if you actually want to paw through it with your dirty mitts.
Perhaps because I got to see all five films in sequence and then had an opportunity to review the book afterwards, I don't think Cremaster is all that difficult to understand. Part of the problem is that he is engaged in fomenting ambiguity. I do believe that is possible to extract signifgant meanings from the Cremaster cycle. Might be a good idea to buy this in paperback if you actually want to paw through it with your dirty mitts.
January 24, 2011
In 2003 (or 2002) I went to the Guggenheim Museum to see a massive Matthew Barney installation. It blew my mind. In 2010 I had dinner with Matthew Barney as he was a guest of a friend and it solidified my interest in a very interesting man. This is a hard to find book and I had to pull some strings but happy to have it in the collection to bring out at dinner parties so I can freak people out.
September 22, 2007
Haven't read all the essays, but it's mostly images anyways. I really enjoyed Cremaster 2 & 3 (the last he made in the series). I got this in paperback and am glad for it. This one of those things that could be decoded (the book includes a glossary of symbols) but I preferred just trying to acclimate my brain to the moments in the movies -- the old interest in dreams, that sorta thing. Which isn't Barney's intention, right, but anyway.
November 23, 2009
Gigantic. Androgynous. Epic. Hermaphroditic.
...and Agnostic front plays against Murphy's Law in the lobby of the Chrysler building.
Big book. Chock full of symbols and strange images.
Gary Gilmore.
Norman Mailer.
Rockettes.
Unformed generative matter.
Masonic rites and unformed generative matter.
When I take this out of the library again, I will be sure to read the prefatory essays.
oh yeah.... and watch the films...
...and Agnostic front plays against Murphy's Law in the lobby of the Chrysler building.
Big book. Chock full of symbols and strange images.
Gary Gilmore.
Norman Mailer.
Rockettes.
Unformed generative matter.
Masonic rites and unformed generative matter.
When I take this out of the library again, I will be sure to read the prefatory essays.
oh yeah.... and watch the films...
March 7, 2008
it helps if you've seen any of the films at all, but either way this is a gorgeously bizarre book.
July 8, 2022
The closest book to the Holy Bible that we have been presented so far.
Extremely forward thinking text that supports a difficult to watch avante garde art film. The book is better than the accompanying movie. The forward goes into Matthew Barney's early performance art days up til Cremaster. What's most surprising is the reasoning behind
Extremely forward thinking text that supports a difficult to watch avante garde art film. The book is better than the accompanying movie. The forward goes into Matthew Barney's early performance art days up til Cremaster. What's most surprising is the reasoning behind
May 19, 2024
Good 100 page introduction explaining the Cremaster Cycle art films. Always been curious what they are all about. 90% of the book is art from the films including photographs, inspirations & locations. Very rare, expensive book.
October 5, 2007
I hated Cremaster 3 when I saw it.
Looking back, I see that I just didn't get it.
I was an art college student with a very closed mind about conceptual art when I saw this - performance and film art just aren't my favorite things. I used to get into arguments with my art teacher about how bad this was. She persisted constantly about how I was wrong - and I kept telling her she can keep her Barney and I'll keep my Doyle Hancock. I can't even say that I enjoy watching these films, because I can't. I do, however, enjoy reading about them.
Barney is a bit of a pretentious "all eyes on me" snob about his work - but I do enjoy reading about how he went from step one to the execution of his films, and being able to put all the pieces of his visual art together with the help of this text really does show you that art on the outside is very ridiculous and pretentious, though on the inside, though its still pretty ridiculous and pretentious, its kind of fascinating, and it actually DOES have a point. You just have to be a total nerd, really bored, or really smart to figure it out.
Looking back, I see that I just didn't get it.
I was an art college student with a very closed mind about conceptual art when I saw this - performance and film art just aren't my favorite things. I used to get into arguments with my art teacher about how bad this was. She persisted constantly about how I was wrong - and I kept telling her she can keep her Barney and I'll keep my Doyle Hancock. I can't even say that I enjoy watching these films, because I can't. I do, however, enjoy reading about them.
Barney is a bit of a pretentious "all eyes on me" snob about his work - but I do enjoy reading about how he went from step one to the execution of his films, and being able to put all the pieces of his visual art together with the help of this text really does show you that art on the outside is very ridiculous and pretentious, though on the inside, though its still pretty ridiculous and pretentious, its kind of fascinating, and it actually DOES have a point. You just have to be a total nerd, really bored, or really smart to figure it out.
February 6, 2008
Another artist who people either go ga-ga or pure hate - I actually admire what he does. For one, I love his cinema, the actual spectacle of the work itself as well as the details that go into that work. I guess he's a sculptor of sorts and that is how I look at his movies.
The Cremaster Cycle is his big work, and it's fascinating piece of art done on a very large scale and budget. So yeah you need to see his films (only at movie theaters at this time) as well as getting this book. The book is sort of the 'program' to the films. But you can see of course the detailed work that goes into it - and he is a very detailed skillful craftsman.
The Cremaster Cycle is his big work, and it's fascinating piece of art done on a very large scale and budget. So yeah you need to see his films (only at movie theaters at this time) as well as getting this book. The book is sort of the 'program' to the films. But you can see of course the detailed work that goes into it - and he is a very detailed skillful craftsman.
August 24, 2007
This big & beautiful book is essential to fully understanding and appreciating Matthew Barney's complex "Cremaster Cycle". A great investment, especially for those unfortunate souls who haven't seen the films.
January 31, 2008
psheeew. i read some of it. wow. nice pictures!
June 19, 2008
Words can't describe, but - there is some good supporting text in this book.
November 30, 2008
Incredible account of this project.
January 2, 2008
an immense reference tool.
May 19, 2010
A wonderful companion to the Cremaster Cycle.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews