Review by Choice Review
This catalog, for an extensive traveling exhibition of the work of Richard Tuttle over a period of 40 years, is a glorious example of quality publication. The book is very large, elegantly designed, and very expensive. And then there is the work of Richard Tuttle. Some respond well to it, some do not. In 1975, art critic Hilton Kramer, describing a Tuttle show at the Whitney, said that with his work "less is unmistakably less. It is, indeed, remorselessly and irredeemably less." In its totality, Tuttle's particular extension of abstract modernism is utterly tame, cool, and detached. It asks nothing, feels little, and gives nothing. It exists beyond criticism or analysis, with the only rationale being "Since I made this it is just fine." To his credit, Tuttle has a good instinctive sense of color. ^BSumming Up: Not recommended. J. T. Frazer emeritus, Wesleyan University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Tuttle has long been considered an artist on the cutting edge, often mentioned in the same sentence as Eva Hesse and Richard Serra. His 40-year career has consistently been about making people think about art "outside the box." The word playful is often applied to his work, and it is a very apt description indeed. This catalog is produced by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and published in conjunction with a six-city traveling retrospective of 300 pieces, including paintings, sculptures, artist books, and wall reliefs. It contains more than 260 reproductions, documentary images of Tuttle's working methods and past installations, an exhibition history, and a bibliography. Full-sized plates of the works in the exhibition accompany insightful essays and case studies by numerous art historians that help the reader better understand Tuttle's oeuvre. Recommended for larger academic libraries with strong contemporary art collections. [The exhibition kicked off in San Francisco in July and will be traveling over the next two years to New York, Des Moines, Dallas, Chicago, and Los Angeles.-Ed.]-Sheila Devaney, Univ. of Georgia Libs., Athens (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Library Journal Review
