Robert Irwin: All the Rules Will Change

About this book

Robert Irwin one of the most influential postwar American artists and a pioneering figure of California Light and Space Art is the subject of this book that traces his development and remarkable accomplishments in the 1960s. The first publication to focus exclusively on Irwins extraordinary trajectory during the 1960s this book explores how the artist moved from creating small-scale abstract paintings to temporary installations that responded to the specific circumstances of a given site. During this relatively brief interval Irwin methodically interrogated the most essential premises of art and in the process ultimately redefined what a work of art could be proposing that art not be limited to objects but be considered a way of seeing. Through its discussion of Irwins paintings sculptures and his new site-conditioned scrim installation created in response to the Hirshhorns distinctive round architecture this publication immerses the reader in the artists groundbreaking investigations into the nature of color light and perception. The essays offer fresh insights into Irwins art while highlighting his pivotal role in the broader aesthetic developments in the 1960s. The book also includes text by Irwin.