Fred Tomaselli: Monsters Of Paradise

by John Yau (Artist), John Yau (Essay), Jonathan Lethem (Essay)

Unorthodox materials such as over-the-counter remedies, medicinal herbs, prescription pills, and psychoactive plants, are just some of the materials that make up artist Fred Tomaselli's collaged paintings. Others include cut-out photographs of flowers, insects, and leaves from field guides and seed catalogues that jostle for attention with their carefully-pressed and preserved real-life counterparts. Whole figures crafted from magazine cut-outs of animals and body parts--nightmarish, Archimboldo-esque hybrids--present Tomaselli's intensely personal vision of the universe. Monsters of Paradise, while moving between the artist's abstractions and figurations, presents 32 visually exuberant works reproduced in glorious color, and provides a comprehensive view of Tomaselli's work from 1995 to today.

Published in conjunction with an exhibition of the same title. Edited by Fiona Bradley.

Contents:
Introduction / Fiona Bradley
Beyond a shadow of a doubt / John Yau
My chemical substance / Fred Tomaselli
The collector / Jonathan Lethem

Genres: Art

95 pages, Hardcover

First published January 15, 2004

About the author

John Yau is an American poet and critic who lives in New York City. He received his B.A. from Bard College in 1972 and his M.F.A. from Brooklyn College in 1978. He has published over 50 books of poetry, artists' books, fiction, and art criticism.

Reviews

[Anselm]

but my liver is scared