Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Over the past four decades, Richard Tuttle has thrown into question nearly every conceivable artistic convention and critical category to create an enormously inventive body of abstract work--one that embraces and intermingles drawing, painting, collage, book-making, sculpture and design. From his spare yet enigmatic forms of the 1960s to his complex, multi-faceted assemblages and installations of more recent years, Tuttle's primary impetus throughout has been to craft unique objects, using everyday, often ephemeral materials, that demand to be confronted on their own terms. The relentless individuality of his aesthetic vision has earned him standing as one of the most provocative and influential artists of his day. This richly illustrated and strikingly designed catalogue, the most authoritative volume ever published on this prolific artist, presents nearly 400 reproductions of artworks from across his oeuvre and documentary photographs of his creative process. Essays by a distinguished group of writers trace the arc of Tuttle's career from its inception in the 1960s to the present day, addressing topics such as the philosophical underpinnings of his artistic method; his sensitive handling of diverse materials; his lifelong engagement with drawing and its expansion into three-dimensional space; his groundbreaking solo exhibitions and their critical reception in the United States and Europe; his complex play with the conventions of language; and his innovative artist's books, many of which are collaborations with poets.
The Art of Richard Tuttle is published in conjunction with a major retrospective organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The exhibition travels to the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Des Moines Art Center; the Dallas Museum of Art; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Tuttle has long been considered an artist on the cutting edge, often mentioned in the same sentence as Eva Hesse and Richard Serra. His 40-year career has consistently been about making people think about art "outside the box." The word playful is often applied to his work, and it is a very apt description indeed. This catalog is produced by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and published in conjunction with a six-city traveling retrospective of 300 pieces, including paintings, sculptures, artist books, and wall reliefs. It contains more than 260 reproductions, documentary images of Tuttle's working methods and past installations, an exhibition history, and a bibliography. Full-sized plates of the works in the exhibition accompany insightful essays and case studies by numerous art historians that help the reader better understand Tuttle's oeuvre. Recommended for larger academic libraries with strong contemporary art collections. [The exhibition kicked off in San Francisco in July and will be traveling over the next two years to New York, Des Moines, Dallas, Chicago, and Los Angeles.-Ed.]-Sheila Devaney, Univ. of Georgia Libs., Athens (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

This catalog, for an extensive traveling exhibition of the work of Richard Tuttle over a period of 40 years, is a glorious example of quality publication. The book is very large, elegantly designed, and very expensive. And then there is the work of Richard Tuttle. Some respond well to it, some do not. In 1975, art critic Hilton Kramer, describing a Tuttle show at the Whitney, said that with his work "less is unmistakably less. It is, indeed, remorselessly and irredeemably less." In its totality, Tuttle's particular extension of abstract modernism is utterly tame, cool, and detached. It asks nothing, feels little, and gives nothing. It exists beyond criticism or analysis, with the only rationale being "Since I made this it is just fine." To his credit, Tuttle has a good instinctive sense of color. ^BSumming Up: Not recommended. J. T. Frazer emeritus, Wesleyan University