Raymond Pettibon: To Wit

Raymond Pettibon: To Wit

In the summer of 2013, Raymond Pettibon took over one of David Zwirnerâ€™s gallery spaces in New York, transforming the high-ceilinged, garage-like white cube into his studio in order to prepare a show of drawings and collages withinâ€”and sometimes directly onâ€”its walls. Titled To Wit, evoking the Middle English expression that has come to express a certain formality today and is defined as â€œnamely,â€ or â€œthat is to say,â€ the exhibition gave new meaning to the term â€œsite specific,â€ featuring vibrant, gestural works Pettibon created in conversation with his surroundings that operated as a sort of archive, both product and record of his relationship to that space and time. Unified by their bold, vivid lines and unconventional framing, they feature allusions to a wide spectrum of American â€œhighâ€ and â€œlowâ€ culture, from violence, humor, and sex to literature, youth, art history, and sportsâ€”embodying the artistâ€™s signature mix of social and political commentary, diary entry, and automatic drawing. This publication, presenting large color plates of the works created over that summer by Pettibon, who also produced an original drawing for its sturdy cardboard cover, explores the intricate relationship between image and language that has long fascinated the artist. Just as the works in the exhibition existed at once as art and document, so too does the book itself have the hefty, physical presence of a work of art. Extensive installation views capture the dynamic combination of visual imagery and text that has come to characterize Pettibonâ€™s practice, and a selection of gritty black-and-white photographs by Andreas Laszlo Konrath offers an intimate glimpse into the artistâ€™s working process. Context is provided by Lucas Zwirner, who accompanied the artist throughout this period and contributed the bookâ€™s essay, â€œA Month with Raymond.â€ As Zwirner describes it, the show functioned â€œas an essayistic whole held together by imaginative leaps and subtle connections which Raymond has left unexplained and uninterpreted.â€ That perspective is rounded out in an interview with the artist by Kim Gordon, a visual artist and musician, who first encountered Pettibonâ€™s work in the early 1980s in Los Angeles.
Country USA
Brand David Zwirner Books
Manufacturer David Zwirner Books
Binding Hardcover
ItemPartNumber 18083
ReleaseDate 2014-04-30
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780989980944

Country	USA
Brand	David Zwirner Books
Manufacturer	David Zwirner Books
Binding	Hardcover
ItemPartNumber	18083
ReleaseDate	2014-04-30
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780989980944