Dana Schutz: Paintings 2002-2005

This first book of Dana Schutz's paintings is just catching up with her rave reviews--the New York Times said one recent show was "outstanding," and Artforum agreed, "far greater than the sum of its parts." Schutz's ecstatically imaginative work, executed in a vibrant, subjective palette, has made an impact since she began exhibiting five years ago. Paintings 2002 - 2005 features significant examples of the bodies of work that constitute her oeuvre to date, including the fictitious narrative Frank from Observation, as well as Self-Eaters, which revolves around making and remaking, plus works depicting the construction and destruction of imaginary societies, and paintings of musicians. One undercurrent explored is Schutz's captivating investigation of the artist's role as creator, and hence the relationship between the maker and the made. Another is her tendency to make open-ended references to a vast pool of stylistic and art-historical sources.