John Wesley: Paintings: 1961-2000

by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, Brian O'Doherty

Accompanying a retrospective at P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center in New York, this new monograph documents the work of painter John Wesley, covering his entire career from 1961 until today. Wesley is known for his consistency of palette--baby blues and cotton pinks--his use of painted "frames" within his pictures, his early emblem paintings, his cartoon Bumstead works--and ultimately for his representations of an inner erotic voyage where the viewer is both voyager and voyeur. Initially considered in alignment with pop artists of the early 60s, Wesley consistently produced works of such a subtle and subversive nature as to put him in a category of his own. He used the early tools of advertising production--like tracing paper and stock photography--and was the subject of a wide range of influences, from Surrealism to Art Nouveau, from ancient Greek poetry to Matisse. The result is an oeuvre that has challenged and rewarded viewers for forty years.

Hardcover

First published January 6, 2001

About the author

Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev was the Artistic Director of dOCUMENTA (13) which opened in Kassel on June 9, 2012, and of the 2008 Biennale of Sydney. Previously, she was the director of the Museo di Arte Contemporanea di Torino at Castello di Rivoli in Turin until 2009, and chief curator of the same museum from 2002 to 2008. She wasalso co-curator of the 2005 Turin Triennale. She is interested in the relations between the historical avant-garde and contemporary art through exhibition-making.