Richard Wentworth

by Simon Groom (Editor)

Born in Samoa in 1947, Richard Wentworth first came to prominence in the late 1970s along with a generation of artists whose work came to be known as New British Sculpture. By concentrating on the overlooked, and transforming and manipulating industrial or found objects into works of art, Wentworth both subverts their original function and challenges existing systems of classification. Playful, often fantastic, all his work reveals an acute intelligence allied to an irreverent and mischievous sense of humor.

Leading authors from the fields of visual arts, psychology, and linguistics examine Wentworth's interest in language, visual perception, and memory and explore his role in the history of British and international art over the last three decades.

88 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2005

Reviews

[Craig Maxwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting brief insight into the work of Richard Wentworth with a lot of thought starters throughout. I would have liked an essay on some of his work in depth, taking one piece and dissecting it.

The first essay is a bunch of complicated jargon that makes very little sense, pretentious bollocks to be honest, I was almost put off by that but glad I continued.

[Devon Forrester-jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic monogram of a wonderful artist. The book is short, and mostly full of images. There are one- or two-page long essays about the artist, as well as a few pages dedicated to an interview between Wentworth and Professor Mark Lythgoe, wherein they discuss the psychology of enjoying an artwork and the creative process.
A brilliant introduction to a fantastic artist; I'm so glad I picked it up!