Andy Warhol " GIANT Size " Book Review

Wednesday, 31 May 2006 11:03

ANDY WARHOL "GIANT" SIZE is a spectacular visual biography of the life and career of Andy Warhol.  Weighing in at 15 pounds, this enormous book is packed with 2,000 images and documents, many rare or previously unpublished.

From Publishers Weekly :

With its beautiful layouts, pin-sharp reproductions and sparkling texts, this enormous 15-pound book is worth every penny of its price.  The volume kicks off with an illuminating essay by Dave Hickey (Air Guitar) that traces the development of Warhol's genre-mocking style to his childhood in industrial Pittsburgh.  Poverty forced Warhol to hone the instincts of a salesman, Hickey suggests, and neighborhood tales about Czech folk hero David Schrapnel taught him his favorite artistic method: get it exactly wrong.  "Exactly wrong demonstrated that you knew what was exactly right and you were doing it wrong for the right reasons," Hickey explains.  "Thus, in his impoverished early days as a fashion illustrator, Warhol dressed so wretchedly that... colleagues suspected him of being rich."

The volume covers both Warhol's numerous accomplishments (in commercial illustration, advertising, painting, film) and his transformation of the New York art scene so thoroughly that even fans will gain new appreciation for Warhol's enduring influence.  Longer texts by Kenneth Goldsmith, David Dalton, Ivan Karp, Peggy Phelan, Ronnie Cutrone and Bruno Bischofberger reward sustained reading, but for those who prefer browsing, the 16"×12" reproductions and the quotations of Warhol's many witticisms will be enough. (Mar.)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.