Edited by Jörg Schellmann. Introduction by Thomas Weski.
The numerous photographic series of Thomas Ruff (born 1958) are consistently compelling. In larger-than-life-sized portraits we encounter the intent gazes of young adults. Sterile building façades serve as a commentary on the misery of urban sprawl. Pixelated nudes from pornographic websites render important details almost indecipherable while underscoring the power of these images. In exhibitions the photographer shows large-scale prints, which are produced in a very limited number. However, he consistently produces small-format photographic prints using a range of reproductive techniques, which are usually produced in editions of 30 or more to make them affordable for a broader art audience. This catalogue raisonné of editions was prepared by Jörg Schellmann in close cooperation with Thomas Ruff and is based on the most up-to-date research. The works are organized chronologically—not according to the year the image was created but its year of production. The volume presents all signed and numbered editions by the artist from 1988 onward.
Featured image, from the Interiors series (2004), is reproduced from Thomas Ruff: Editions 1988–2014.
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
cphmag.com
Joerg Colberg
Editions (Hatje Cantz 2014) presents this artist’s work, based on special editions he has been making over the years, using a variety of often unusual printing processes. I’m a big, big fan of Ruff, and this book adds a lot to the canon.
STATUS: Out of stock
Temporarily out of stock pending additional inventory.
Featured image, from Thomas Ruff's Substrates series (2003), is reproduced from Hatje Cantz's new book on Ruff's editions, 1988 through 2014. Contributor Valeria Liebermann explains that the series spun off from the artist's web research for his nudes series, which covered "as broad a spectrum as possible of sexual fantasies and practices" that can be found online. "Ruff noticed while searching for image material for the nudes that the virtual images on the Internet essentially no longer represent reality but are merely visual stimuli conveyed by purely electronic means. The flood of images on the Net, where images and information are superimposed, hardly afford the viewer an opportunity to decide what of the image information is real and what is virtual. Ruff set out to penetrate this terrain of visual nothingness using his experience in digital image processing. To this end, he used comic images as the material, superimposing them in several layers and multiplying with one another until he had an image that was more or less devoid of meaning." continue to blog
FORMAT: Hbk, 9.5 x 11.75 in. / 180 pgs / 211 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $75.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $99 ISBN: 9783775738590 PUBLISHER: Hatje Cantz AVAILABLE: 2/24/2015 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: Out of stock TERRITORY: NA LA
Thomas Ruff: Editions 1988–2014 Catalogue Raisonné
Published by Hatje Cantz. Edited by Jörg Schellmann. Introduction by Thomas Weski.
The numerous photographic series of Thomas Ruff (born 1958) are consistently compelling. In larger-than-life-sized portraits we encounter the intent gazes of young adults. Sterile building façades serve as a commentary on the misery of urban sprawl. Pixelated nudes from pornographic websites render important details almost indecipherable while underscoring the power of these images. In exhibitions the photographer shows large-scale prints, which are produced in a very limited number. However, he consistently produces small-format photographic prints using a range of reproductive techniques, which are usually produced in editions of 30 or more to make them affordable for a broader art audience. This catalogue raisonné of editions was prepared by Jörg Schellmann in close cooperation with Thomas Ruff and is based on the most up-to-date research. The works are organized chronologically—not according to the year the image was created but its year of production. The volume presents all signed and numbered editions by the artist from 1988 onward.
