Publication: Philip Pearlstein - Since 1983 | *Estate of Philip Pearlstein

Long acknowledged as a master of contemporary realism, Philip Pearlstein has remained true to his pursuit of painting monumental nudes since the 1960s. Eschewing the minimalism, conceptualism, and later expressionism practiced by many of his contemporaries, Pearlstein has followed a course of figurative painting that has proven to be very influential to a younger generation of artists.

The larger-than-life men and women who occupy his canvases, often veering out of the frame at surprising angles, are posed sitting or reclining passively, disinterestedly, on furniture or against patterned rugs, and rendered cool and motionless under stark, even light. Since the early 1980s, Pearlstein has boldly introduced folk art, sculpture, and other incongruous props into his layered, abstract, and increasingly complex compositions, creating a visual and psychological tension between human and inanimate forms. 'l'hese enigmatic objects-carousel animals, goose decoys, toy boats, marionettes, weathervaneschallenge the viewer to reflect on their meaning while resisting interpretation.

This selection of sixty paintings and watercolors from the past two decades reveals the intelligence and virtuosity that have made Pearlstein a contemporary master over the course of his long career. The book also includes an enlightening interview with the artist and a thoughtful essay by curator and scholar Robert Storr, who has known Pearlstein for many years.