In 2009 Ida Applebroog’s (born 1929) assistants found a box marked “Mercy Hospital.” Inside was a series of drawings the artist made nearly 50 years ago, during a period of institutionalization after suffering a debilitating breakdown in San Diego in 1969. During this tumultuous period, Applebroog, by her own account, “withdrew from the world entirely, for a period hardly able to speak at all.” Instead she turned to drawing, producing works in graphite, India ink and watercolors, at times accompanied by text from authors such as Kafka and Freud.
The drawings oscillate between the figurative and the abstract, laying bare the female form and calling to mind art-historical precedents informed by psychopathology, particularly works produced in early and mid-20th-century France by the likes of Wols.
The publication of Mercy Hospital, with a text by Jo Applin, is the first time that Applebroog’s work from this period has been documented in full.
Drawing above, made at Mercy Hospital in 1969, is reproduced from 'Ida Applebroog: Mercy Hospital.'
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What a book! Gorgeous reproductions; paper changes; linen binding; collage works using texts by Kafka and Freud; The Yellow Wall-Paper… Ida Applebroog: Mercy Hospital—published to accompany an acclaimed 2016 exhibition at ICA Miami, which has traveled to New York and opens tonight at Karma—collects the dark, often scary and psychedelic-seeming drawings that Applebroog made while institutionalized at Mercy Hospital in 1969, post-nervous breakdown. Recently rediscovered by the artist's assistants in a box that hadn't been opened for 50 years, the drawings "allowed Applebroog to draw herself back to life, back to herself, leading from catastrophic breakdown to a creative, personal and political breakthrough," in the words of essayist Jo Applin. continue to blog
May 5-7, ARTBOOK and Koenig Books join forces at Frieze New York! Last week, one jam-packed shipping container made its way from Germany to Randall's Island, carrying treasures unknown. Six more pallets arrived from domestic publishers big and small. In addition to rare limited editions, out-of-print titles and signed copies, our pop-up bookstore will carry hundreds of monographs, exhibition catalogs, theory titles and more. Scroll down for our schedule of signings with 'Who's Afraid of Contemporary Art?' author Kyung An, 'Could Have, Would Have, Should Have' author Tiqui Atencio, '100 Secrets of the Art World' authors Thomas Girst and Magnus Resch, artists Robert Barry and Sara Greenberger Rafferty and poet Claudia Rankine, and take a peek at just a few of our most exciting rare books. Please note that our booth will feature numerous rare and signed books and limited editions by each of the following artists: Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke, Gilbert & George, William N. Copley, Robert Crumb and Richard Tuttle, whose newest artist's book, 'You Never See the Same Color Twice,' by Getty Research Institute Publications, will be available for the first time at our bookstore.
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FORMAT: Hbk, 8.5 x 10 in. / 304 pgs / 139 color / 4 b&w. LIST PRICE: U.S. $50.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $67.5 GBP £45.00 ISBN: 9781942607595 PUBLISHER: Karma, New York AVAILABLE: 1/24/2017 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: WORLD
In 2009 Ida Applebroog’s (born 1929) assistants found a box marked “Mercy Hospital.” Inside was a series of drawings the artist made nearly 50 years ago, during a period of institutionalization after suffering a debilitating breakdown in San Diego in 1969. During this tumultuous period, Applebroog, by her own account, “withdrew from the world entirely, for a period hardly able to speak at all.” Instead she turned to drawing, producing works in graphite, India ink and watercolors, at times accompanied by text from authors such as Kafka and Freud.
The drawings oscillate between the figurative and the abstract, laying bare the female form and calling to mind art-historical precedents informed by psychopathology, particularly works produced in early and mid-20th-century France by the likes of Wols.
The publication of Mercy Hospital, with a text by Jo Applin, is the first time that Applebroog’s work from this period has been documented in full.
