Lari Pittman: Declaration of Independence

The incredible detail and scale of Lari Pittmans mesmerizing paintings are gloriously recreated in this lushly-illustrated retrospective book. One of the most prolific and exuberant painters of the past three decades, Lari Pittman creates works that mirror the social fabric of his time. This dazzling volume follows Pittmans trajectory as his visual language evolved and his technical mastery grew ever more sophisticated. From his early works defiant affirmations of identity in the increasingly conservative 1980sto his more recent subjects that feature emblems of cultural regression and commercialism, Pittmans paintings are uniquely operatic and ambitious. This book features over sixty paintings and thirty drawings, including Pittmans muralscale series Flying Carpets. Alongside these illustrations are essays that place Pittmans imagery within both Modernism and recent histories of Los Angeles; and examine the works political commentary as well as its many literary references. Serving as a cipher for the political tensions around the body and transcultural identity, Lari Pittman emerges as an artist who speaks truth to power through a visual language that reflects the contemporary world.