Hammer Museum

Pretty on top of pretty / Lisa Dorin -- Portals / Michael Ned Holte -- Viva hate / George Baker. Catalog of the exhibition held at the Art Institute of Chicago, Oct. 22, 2010-Jan. 16, 2011 and at Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, Feb. 12-May 22, 2011./ Includes bibliographical references (pages 142-144). This stunning book offers an important mid-career retrospective of the work of American artist Richard Hawkins (born 1961), whose paintings, collages, and mixed-media pieces are making a crucial contribution to the contemporary art scene. Color plates present approximately 80 of Hawkins's works, representing each stage of his career and including pieces never before published. Based in Los Angeles, Hawkins addresses numerous contemporary issues in his art, especially those related to gender and identity and their connections to classical antiquity. The authors of the catalogue provide informative essays on aspects of Hawkins's work, the development of his vision, and his unique place in the contemporary art world.