Cornelia H. Butler Knihy

Published for MoMA’s retrospective exhibition and in collaboration with the artist, this volume presents new critical essays that expand on Piper's practice in ways that have been previously under- or unaddressed. Focused texts by established and emerging scholars assess themes in Piper’s work such as the Kantian framework that draws on her extensive philosophical studies; her unique contribution to first-generation conceptual art; the turning point in her work, in the early 1970s, from conceptual works to performance; the connection of her work with her yoga practice; her ongoing exposure of and challenge to xenophobia and sexism; and the relation between prevailing interpretations of her work and the viewers who engender them.

The book showcases works featured in a 2014 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, highlighting contemporary art and its diverse expressions. It offers insights into the themes and artistic practices of the exhibited pieces, providing a comprehensive overview of the contributions made by various artists. The exhibition serves as a platform for exploring modern artistic trends and their impact on the art world today.

The first comprehensive study of the work of one of the most significant abstract painters of his generation. This timely entry in the Contemporary Artists series focuses on Mark Bradford, the Los Angeles-based artist best known for his large-scale abstract paintings that examine the class, race, and gender-based economies that structure urban society. His collages and installations, made of materials scavenged from the streets, have created a unique body of work that still stands as a strong response to the impromptu networks that emerge within a city. In this new title, his life and work are explored as never before.

Willem de Kooning, a pioneer of Abstract Expressionism, explored the human form with a skeptical view of Western beauty ideals, focusing on anatomical fragmentation and spatial ambiguity to capture the fleeting nature of individuality. This beautifully designed book accompanies an exhibition at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, showcasing de Kooning's drawings of the female form from 1940 to 1955. It highlights his struggle to blur the lines between drawing and painting while examining the relationship between figures and their backgrounds. Initially influenced by early-twentieth-century abstraction, de Kooning would redraw lines repeatedly until he achieved the desired image. From 1947-49, he began to merge abstraction with figuration, dismembering and rearranging figures in seemingly random ways. His evolving compositions transformed geometric shapes into architectural elements, creating ambiguous spaces. In 1951, he returned to depicting women with turbulent brushwork, turning them into monumental, distorted images that oscillate between flat patterns and rounded forms, evoking a sense of violent sensuality. His later works, while retaining familiar shapes and hues, present women as distorted figures, akin to views seen underwater. As critic Thomas Hess noted, "Woman, for de Kooning, is the human equivalent of water; more than a vessel, she embodies it in planes of rippling flesh."