Though Susan Rothenberg is perhaps best known for her paintings of horses, the subjects of her paintings are in fact quite varied--abstract portraits, landscapes, and atmospheric expressionist canvases round out her oeuvre. This book is the first comprehensive monograph of Rothenberg's work, offering the reader a broad view of both her paintings and her life. Born in upstate New York, Rothenberg spent her early years studying art and dance before moving to Manhattan for college. There, she became involved in the conceptually oriented art world of 1960s New York City. As Rothenberg began to individuate herself and her work from that movement, her canvases became one of the forces that reinvigorated American painting in the 1970s. Rothenberg later headed to the Southwest, inspiring the incorporation of themes culled from her desert environment into her continually evolving painting style. This volume is filled with excellent reproductions of her work, accompanied by Rothenberg's own comments about her ideas and inspirations that provide excellent insight into both her work and her character.


Book Description
"Opens a window on the mind and career of a painter. . . . A welcome and worthy addition to the literature of contemporary art." -Miami Herald Now available in a well-priced paperback edition, this award-winning study explores the life and work of Susan Rothenberg, "a major talent" (Robert Hughes, Time) who is "one of the best artists of her generation" (Michael Kimmelman, The New York Times) and "our best painter's painter" (Peter Plagens, Newsweek). Illustrated with original documentary photographs and nearly 90 colorplates, including three gatefolds, the book puts Rothenberg's arresting images of horses, body fragments, dancers, and spinners in context-and examines how her personal emblems and experiences figure in her work. 161 illustrations, 87 in full color, 3 gatefolds, 10 x 11" JOAN SIMON is a writer and independent curator specializing in contemporary art. The former managing editor of Art in America, she is the author of studies on Jenny Holzer and Bruce Nauman.

FROM THE PUBLISHER