by Lari Pittman (Text by (Art/Photo Books)), Kelly Shindler (Editor), Helen Molesworth (Contribution by)
A Decorated Chronology accompanies the first American museum exhibition of Los Angeles-based artist Lari Pittman in more than 15 years. It comprises a range of recent work and a selection of earlier paintings. Over the past three decades, Pittman has developed a body of work that is internationally celebrated for its exuberant use of color and painstakingly rendered detail to address such contentious subjects as sexuality, desire and violence. His multilayered depictions of images and signs--ranging from human figures and body parts to animals, plants, furniture, text and even credit cards--meditate on the overwhelming richness and sadness of everyday life. Embracing the critical potential of figurative painting, Pittman provides incisive commentary on the medium's ability to intertwine the personal with the political.