Glenn Brown

by Jeff Fleming, Jeff Fleming, James Clifton

This full-color, 128-page catalog, published by the Des Moines Art Center, accompanies the first, one-person museum exhibition in the United States for the British-based artist Glenn Brown. The publication illustrates the 34 paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints included in the show and includes essays by Art Center Director Jeff Fleming and James Clifton, director of the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation and curator of Renaissance and Baroque Painting, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, along with an interview between Brown and Steven Matijcio, curator at the Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati.

128 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2009

Reviews

[XenofoneX · Rating 5 out of 5]

Along with 'Three Exhibitions', Glenn Brown's mid-career retrospective monograph published by 'Rizzoli', this book released by Tate is the best way to experience the artists' distorted 'trompe l'oeil' visions of art history. His technical mastery of oil painting is apparent in the generous selection of details, where Brown uses micro-fine brushes to create the illusion of thick impasto strokes, re-creating works by Neo-Expressionists like Baselitz; he just as deftly mimics the slick execution of Dali, or the rough romantic grandeur of John 'Apocalypse' Martin. What all his works share is their perfect flatness, for one; gallery patrons mistake his paintings for print reproductions, an impression he strives for. Their origins are the same as well, beginning as art-book images and .jpeg's of classic paintings, which are then scanned or copied to Photoshop. It is there that he digitally manipulates the image. This becomes a rough guide used in the painting. His reliance on print and digital media is part of the reason behind the painstaking effort he expends on creating a smooth finished surface.

The essays provide critical interpretations, as well as the perspective of Brown's friend and fellow artist, who shared a studio with him in the years before he had achieved widespread success and recognition. A lengthy interview with the artist is also included.
This is a beautifully produced volume, printed on very high-quality paper. At 150 pages, it's about the same length as the Rizzoli book, and is only half the price. It also features over a dozen gatefolds, allowing his biggest paintings to be reproduced at a much larger size, something publishers and book-designers should use more often. An excellent showcase for Brown's art, at a very reasonable price.

P.S. Unfortunately, the prices have hit insane levels; it's a beautiful book, but WTF? As an alternative, the Rizzoli/Gagosian Gallery hardcover Glenn Brown: Three Exhibitions (mentioned above), now seems like a very good alternative. It's one of my favorite monographs, a truly deluxe edition that is worth the price; I'd suggest grabbing a copy quick, because once the distributors run out, marketplace sellers will once again send prices skyrocketing. Another good choice is Glenn Brown, published by Holzwarth. This is the hardcover monograph accompanying one of his most recent exhibitions at the Max Hetzler Gallery in Germany. A large, nearly square format of 12" x 13" that seems slim at it's listed length of 56 pages is in reality closer to 130 pages, with a wealth of tipped-in-full-color gatefolds, providing a larger venue for his newest, stunning works. It also includes an appendix with hi-res reproductions of his earlier works, something I wish more Exhibition catalogs would include. Both books have limiter print runs, so again, if you are a fan of Brown's work and see any of these books priced reasonably, buy them.

[brian tanabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this monograph was filled with "art essays" that made me feel like such an outsider, the work is so beautiful.