The Art of Richard Tuttle

Over the past four decades, Richard Tuttle has thrown into question nearly every conceivable artistic convention and critical category to create an enormously inventive body of abstract work--one that embraces and intermingles drawing, painting, collage, book-making, sculpture and design. From his spare yet enigmatic forms of the 1960s to his complex, multi-faceted assemblages and installations of more recent years, Tuttle's primary impetus throughout has been to craft unique objects, using everyday, often ephemeral materials, that demand to be confronted on their own terms. The relentless individuality of his aesthetic vision has earned him standing as one of the most provocative and influential artists of his day. This richly illustrated and strikingly designed catalogue, the most authoritative volume ever published on this prolific artist, presents nearly 400 reproductions of artworks from across his oeuvre and documentary photographs of his creative process. Essays by a distinguished group of writers trace the arc of Tuttle's career from its inception in the 1960s to the present day, addressing topics such as the philosophical underpinnings of his artistic method; his sensitive handling of diverse materials; his lifelong engagement with drawing and its expansion into three-dimensional space; his groundbreaking solo exhibitions and their critical reception in the United States and Europe; his complex play with the conventions of language; and his innovative artist's books, many of which are collaborations with poets.
The Art of Richard Tuttle is published in conjunction with a major retrospective organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The exhibition travels to the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Des Moines Art Center; the Dallas Museum of Art; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.