From Library Journal
Provocative objects are the heart of Kruger's art work. Pairing banal or perplexing photographs with phrases superimposed directly over the image, she challenges the way in which the viewer's thoughts and attitudes are determined by the dictates of society. An example is her close-cropped depiction of an atomic mushroom cloud with the legend, "Your manias become science" across the stem of the cloud. A graphic designer and television critic, Kruger manipulates the commonplace to deconstruct the messages we absorb daily without reflection; in so doing she makes a stronger challenge to the established order than such controversial artists as Serrano and Mapplethorpe. As the most complete overview of an important young artist and a fascinating addition to the debate on censorship in the arts, the book is recommended for most libraries.- David McClelland, Temple Univ. Lib., PhiladelphiaCopyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Love for Sale: The Words and Pictures of Barbara Kruger ANNOTATION
80 illustrations, 20 in full color, 96 pages, 10-1/2 x 12-1/2".
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Kruger's practice reflects the discovery, evident throughout contemporary art, of the formative power of images, the capacity of signs to affect deep structures of belief. Her art is concerned with positioning of the social body, with the ways in which out thoughts, attitudes and desires are determined by society's dictates.
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
Provocative objects are the heart of Kruger's art work. Pairing banal or perplexing photographs with phrases superimposed directly over the image, she challenges the way in which the viewer's thoughts and attitudes are determined by the dictates of society. An example is her close-cropped depiction of an atomic mushroom cloud with the legend, ``Your manias become science'' across the stem of the cloud. A graphic designer and television critic, Kruger manipulates the commonplace to deconstruct the messages we absorb daily without reflection; in so doing she makes a stronger challenge to the established order than such controversial artists as Serrano and Mapplethorpe. As the most complete overview of an important young artist and a fascinating addition to the debate on censorship in the arts, the book is recommended for most libraries.-- David McClelland, Temple Univ. Lib., Philadelphia