Stezaker is a genius, i m very happy to have this book in my collection. Ridinghouse in association with the approach, 2010. This is the artists second exhibition with the gallery and presents the most comprehensive u. The unknown bmovie actors and actresses portrayed in john stezakers lost images 2010 series take their place against the backdrop of a tradition of heroic representation, within which the early silkscreens of andy warhol loom large. Stezaker attended the slade school of art in london in his early teens, he graduated with a higher diploma in fine art in 1973. British artist john stezaker is known for his distinctive, often deceptively simple, collages. See more ideas about john stezaker, photomontage and collage art. He has been making art since the 1970s, but achieved prominence relatively recently. Artist page for john stezaker born 1949 in our continuing series in which we invite an artist to focus on a work in the tate collection, john. Stezaker, john john stezaker artist page with links to monographs, museum exhibition. Artwork page for mask xiv, john stezaker, 2006 on display at tate modern. His intervention into these images through collage, excision, reconfiguration, inversion or occlusion can be seen to interrupt their everyday circulation in a profound way. In marriage, stezaker uses an archive of movie star publicity portraits he acquired to slice up and find new assemblages of the human face. Two books from ridinghousekarsten schubert feature his intriguing constructions, marriage 2007 and masks 2008.
Richard gray gallery, published on the occasion of the truth of masks, richard gray gallery, chicago, usa. Aug 05, 2019 john stezaker is an artist working primarily with collage, often using found imagery such as postcards, film stills, advertising and illustrations from vintage books. John stezaker s work reexamines the various relationships to the photographic image. Concentrating specifically on the portrait, john stezakers masks series reflects the artists ongoing interest with the hidden face. John stezaker english artist john stezaker born 1949 reexamines various relationships to the photographic imageas documentation of truth, purveyor of memory and symbol of modern culture. Initially a leading figure of the british conceptual art group, his interests soon gave way to a longterm fascination with the image. In the early 1970s, he was among the first wave of british conceptual artists to react against what was then the predominance of pop art solo exhibitions for stezaker have been rare, however, in the mid2000s, his work was rediscovered by the art market. The truth of masks john stezaker books richard gray gallery. For angus film still collage i 2009, by john stezaker. John stezaker s collage entitled mask film portrait collage clxxiii, 2014, comprises only two elements, a pair of found photographs.
John stezaker, who creates collages from images found in books, magazines and postcards, gives a brief insight into his festival show art john stezaker collages at anna schwartz john stezaker takes classic movie stills, vintage postcards and book illustrations, and makes collages to give old images a. In the early 1970s, he was among the first wave of british conceptual artists to react against what was then the predominance of pop art solo exhibitions for stezaker were rare for sometime, however, in the mid2000s, his work was. This pair of images activates our innate tendency to interpret faces in patterns. Stezakers treatment of the books cinematic love scenes is more aggressive. In his collages, stezaker appropriates images found in books, magazines and postcards, and uses them as readymades. See more ideas about john stezaker, photomontage and collage artists. Richard gray gallery is pleased to announce the truth of masks, an exhibition of new collages by john stezaker. Stezaker s longterm fascination with the image is translated into alterations.
The art of john stezaker for almost four decades, the artist john stezaker british, b. His main inspirations were gerhard richter and sigmar polke painters heavily influenced by photography, who, paradoxically, caused him to stop painting. Vi, a kiss explodes into a glorious cubist synecdoche for sex. By adjusting, inverting and slicing separate pictures together to create unique new works of art, stezaker explores the subversive force of found images. Alex delfanne softspoken and thoughtful, stezaker graduated from the slade school of art in 1973, having gave up painting for film in his first year. Through his elegant juxtapositions, stezaker adopts the content and contexts of the. In the early 1970s, he was among the first wave of british conceptual artists to react against what was then the predominance of pop art. With over 120 illustrations, this monograph presents the first overview of john stezakers work on paper from the 1970s onwards, featuring his found images, collages, image fragments, and a selection from the 3rd person archive.
Stezaker covers an old publicity portrait of a film star with a postcard. Employing vintage photographs, old hollywood film stills, travel postcards and other printed matter, stezaker creates seductive and fascinating smallformat collages that bear qualities of surrealism, dada, and found art. Taking classic movie stills, vintage postcards and book illustrations, stezaker makes collages to give old images a new meaning. Notions of the interior and exterior and blindness are key to stezakers masks series. The truth of masks john stezaker essay by michael bracewell published by richard gray gallery hardcover, 46 pages, english 2015. Conceptual and appropriation artist john stezaker is known for his surrealistinfluenced collages crafted from found images manipulated and juxtaposed into new concordances.
Looking back half a century to when they were first exhibited, warhols early. Conceptual and appropriation artist john stezaker is known for his surrealist influenced collages crafted from found images manipulated and juxtaposed into new concordances. Ridinghouse, published on the occasion of lost world, touring exhibition in various australia and new zealand locations. In his collages, stezaker appropriates images found in books, magazines, and postcards and uses them as readymades. Usually one of his pieces will consist of just two found photographs, or a film still and a postcard, and put like that it may not sound like anything at all. Nov 14, 2017 british artist john stezaker is known for his distinctive, often deceptively simple, collages. Essays by dawn ades and michael bracewell, as well as a conversation between the artist and. John stezaker, marriage iv 2006 stezaker was one of the first generation of british conceptual artists exhibiting in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Love essays by michael bracewell, craig burnett ridinghouse, 2019 the collages and silkscreens of john stezaker contain stutters and elisions, gaps and coverings that pull viewers into an act of empathetic engagement, as the artist said in a 2011 interview included in the catalogue for his retrospective at the whitechapel.
Through his elegant juxtapositions, stezaker adopts the. John stezakers uncanny couplings photography agenda. Stezaker s longterm fascination with the image is translated into alterations, deletions, visual concordances and juxtapositions of disparate sources, intuitively creating new images and relationships. John stezaker by john stezaker, approach gallery host institution and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Mask xiii by john stezaker on curiator, the worlds biggest collaborative art collection. With a precise cut of the scalpel, often right through the middle of the face on a portrait, stezaker first mutilates the photograph and then splices it. The postcard becomes a mask over the face, but rather than just concealing, it opens a window into another space. Stezakers most notable works involve the manipulation of archival film stock imagesparticularly blackandwhite actor headshots circa the 1940s.
Stezakers longterm fascination with the image is translated into alterations, deletions, visual concordances and juxtapositions of disparate sources, intuitively creating new images and relationships. British artist john stezaker is fascinated by the lure of images. Rubell collection, miami the question that inevitably returns with john stezakers collages is. Indeed, in referring to the large compendium of images. John grenville stezaker born 1949, is a british conceptual artist. In his film portrait series beginning in the 1980s, slices of faces from movie star headshots are overlaid atop others to create disconcerting hybrids. Ridinghouse in association with the approach, 2008. In the past few years, photo artist john stezaker has had something of an artworld zeitgeist momentwhich is both deserved and a bit belated, as the 63yearold artists career has spanned more than four decades. An avid fan and obsessive collector of film memorabilia, john stezaker owns a vast archive comprising hundreds of these old portraits, which act as sources for his art. Rubell collection, miami these postcards of sea caves and natural arches i found even more frightening as images because the punctuated space of interiority is itself extended into a space beyond. Dec 12, 2008 marriage and masks by john stezaker a recent discovery of mine and perhaps one of the best kept secrets of collage from the past 25 years is the artist john stezaker. John stezakers collage entitled mask film portrait collage clxxiii, 2014, comprises only two elements, a pair of found photographs. David campany is a writer, curator of exhibitions and an artist.
Celebrated for his brilliant use of old film stills, portraits, postcards an. Concentrating specifically on the portrait, john stezaker s masks series reflects the artists ongoing interest with the hidden face. John stezaker, the truth of masks, runs at richard gray gallery through december 12, 2015. In his collages, stezaker appropriates images found in books, magazines, and postcards. Initially a leading figure of the british conceptual art group, his interests. John stezaker is an artist working primarily with collage, often using found imagery such as postcards, film stills, advertising and illustrations from vintage books. Spanning more than three decades, this richly illustrated monograph demonstrates john stezakers engagement with the ceaseless flow of images resulting from mechanical reproduction, mass media and popular culture. John stezaker the truth of masks the seen chicagos.
Notions of the interior and exterior and blindness are. The postcard is simply pasted over the hollywood actors visage, but its deceptively simple. John stezakers work reexamines the various relationships to the photographic image. Artwork page for mask xiii, john stezaker, 2006 on display at tate modern.
Stezaker attended the slade school of art in london, graduating with a higher diploma in fine art in 1973. In 2011, he had a retrospective at the whitechapel gallery, london, and, in 2012, he won the deutsche borse photography foundation prize, even though he does not take photographs. Ridinghouse in association with tel aviv museum of art, 20. In an interview with david campany, stezaker describes being motivated to create work through a fascination with images before giving insight into his method of working. Spanning more than three decades, this richly illustrated monograph demonstrates john stezaker s engagement with the ceaseless flow of images resulting from mechanical reproduction, mass media and popular culture. John grenville stezaker born 1948 is an english conceptual artist una storia john stezaker macro museum curator insights karen k butler on john stezaker o john stezaker mask xiii is part of a collage created by superimposing a postcard on a black and white photograph. A recent discovery of mine and perhaps one of the best kept secrets of collage from the past 25 years is the artist john stezaker. John stezaker has been collecting photographic city views from the 1920s and 30s for 30 years, focusing on subjects photographed by chance. John stezaker exhibition catalogs, books, bibliography, biography. John stezaker kemper art museum washington university. Mar 18, 2011 british artist john stezaker is fascinated by the lure of images.