Introduction by A.M. Homes. Text by Michael Duncan, Edward Leffingwell. Interview by Linda Yablonsky.
A half-century of the acclaimed sculptor's materially seductive explorations of language and history
For nearly five decades, New York–based artist Rob Wynne (born 1948) has incorporated fragments of language drawn from conversation, literature and popular culture to create visually and materially seductive works that employ text as object or image. Across sculpture, installation, collage and relief, Wynne’s work appropriates words and images from a broad array of historical figures and personal remembrances. Embroidered photographs of 18th-century Meissen figurines are overlaid with incongruous words; fragments of phrases are spelled out in syrupy hand-poured letters of mirrored glass. Featuring new texts by noted American novelist A.M. Homes and independent curator Michael Duncan alongside an interview with NYC living treasure Linda Yablonsky, this fully illustrated monograph is the first comprehensive publication on the artist’s work, spanning the 1970s to the current day and tracking his development from early paintings and collages to a recent exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum of Art.
"An Invisible Curtain" (2014) is reproduced from 'Rob Wynne: Obstacle Illusion.'
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Featured spreads are from Rob Wynne: Obstacle Illusion, launching Tuesday, September 19 at Craig F. Starr Gallery. The first comprehensive monograph on the sculptor, glass, textile and installation artist best-known for his experiments with language and hand-poured glass, it spans five decades—with work that is searching, witty and open to chance. “Trying to figure out how to introduce Rob Wynne is like trying to figure out how to put Henny Youngman, Maria Calas, Josephine Baker, Harry Houdini and Dame Edna all in the same pair of pants,” essayist A.M. Homes writes in her Introduction. “Which Rob Wynne am I introducing in what context, juxtaposed against who or what? Rob Wynne is an art world insider who is an outsider, an artist whose work is a commentary on a commentary, an autobiography not just of an individual but of an era. To introduce Rob Wynne is to invite you on a magical adventure, a fantastical tour through the heart and mind. Together we go through the looking glass, down the rabbit hole. In the background a layered soundtrack, spins like a silky web from the most baroque to the most broke. Patti Smith, A Talking Head, a gospel lift, a clavichord, a word from Henry James, a sprinkle of Sontag or Spinoza and well, you get the drift.” continue to blog
Featured spreads are from Rob Wynne: Obstacle Illusion, launching Tuesday, September 19 at Craig F. Starr Gallery. The first comprehensive monograph on the sculptor, glass, textile and installation artist best-known for his experiments with language and hand-poured glass, it spans five decades—with work that is searching, witty and open to chance. “Trying to figure out how to introduce Rob Wynne is like trying to figure out how to put Henny Youngman, Maria Calas, Josephine Baker, Harry Houdini and Dame Edna all in the same pair of pants,” essayist A.M. Homes writes in her Introduction. “Which Rob Wynne am I introducing in what context, juxtaposed against who or what? Rob Wynne is an art world insider who is an outsider, an artist whose work is a commentary on a commentary, an autobiography not just of an individual but of an era. To introduce Rob Wynne is to invite you on a magical adventure, a fantastical tour through the heart and mind. Together we go through the looking glass, down the rabbit hole. In the background a layered soundtrack, spins like a silky web from the most baroque to the most broke. Patti Smith, A Talking Head, a gospel lift, a clavichord, a word from Henry James, a sprinkle of Sontag or Spinoza and well, you get the drift.” continue to blog
FORMAT: Hbk, 10.5 x 13.5 in. / 282 pgs / 236 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $50.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $70 GBP £43.00 ISBN: 9781941366523 PUBLISHER: Gregory R. Miller & Co. AVAILABLE: 10/3/2023 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: WORLD
Published by Gregory R. Miller & Co.. Introduction by A.M. Homes. Text by Michael Duncan, Edward Leffingwell. Interview by Linda Yablonsky.
A half-century of the acclaimed sculptor's materially seductive explorations of language and history
For nearly five decades, New York–based artist Rob Wynne (born 1948) has incorporated fragments of language drawn from conversation, literature and popular culture to create visually and materially seductive works that employ text as object or image. Across sculpture, installation, collage and relief, Wynne’s work appropriates words and images from a broad array of historical figures and personal remembrances. Embroidered photographs of 18th-century Meissen figurines are overlaid with incongruous words; fragments of phrases are spelled out in syrupy hand-poured letters of mirrored glass.
Featuring new texts by noted American novelist A.M. Homes and independent curator Michael Duncan alongside an interview with NYC living treasure Linda Yablonsky, this fully illustrated monograph is the first comprehensive publication on the artist’s work, spanning the 1970s to the current day and tracking his development from early paintings and collages to a recent exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum of Art.
