Books by Dave Hickey

The period between 1999 and 2016 was a particularly fruitful period in the reception of Bridget Rileys work. This handsome new anthology, Selected Writings, includes the significant writings that broadened the discourse and solidified Rileys reputation as one of the most important painters of her generation. The essays range from biographical and c

A collection of essays by American art critic Dave Hickey, nicknamed "The Bad Boy of Art Criticism." When Dave Hickey was twelve, he rode the surfer's dream: the perfect wave. And, like so many things in life we long for, it didn't quite turn out--he shot the pier and dashed himself against the rocks of Sunset Cliffs in Ocean Beach, which nearly killed him. Hickey went on to develop a career as one of America's foremost critical iconoclasts, a trusted no-nonsense voice commenting on the worlds of art and culture. Perfect Wave brings together essays on a wide range of subjects from throughout Hickey's career, displaying his breadth of interest and powerful insight into what makes art work, or not, and why we care. With Hickey as our guide, we travel to Disneyland and Vegas, London and Venice. We discover the genius of Karen Carpenter and Waylon Jennings, learn why Robert Mitchum matters more than Jimmy Stewart, and see how the stillness of Antonioni speaks to us today. Never slow to judge--or to surprise us in doing so--Hickey relates his wincing disappointment in the later career of his early hero Susan Sontag and shows us the appeal to our commonality that we've been missing in Norman Rockwell. Bookended by previously unpublished personal essays that offer a new glimpse into Hickey's own life--including the aforementioned conclusion to his surfing career--Perfect Wave is a welcome addition to the Hickey canon.

This books presents Dave Hickey doing what he does best: writing about art. These essays amount to his finest work on contemporary women artists. As he says, there exist numerous books about individual female artists, but hardly a one that presents women in multiple--in their full, rich diversity. Dedicated to the late museum director Marcia Tucker, the book journeys across the planet to engage with artists from the late Joan Mitchell, to Vija Celmins, Alexis Smith, Sarah Charlesworth, Bridget Riley, and Lynda Benglis and on to younger artists Pia Fries, Roni Horn, Elizabeth Peyton. Jennifer Steinkamp, and many more. A complement of color images rounds out the volume. Hickey also provides an introduction written especially for the volume.

Illustrates the finalists in the first Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. Selected from more than 4,000 entries - from every state in the union - by a jury of experts, this work includes fifty-one portraits that provide evidence of the strength of portraiture, and signal the National Portrait Gallery's increased commitment to contemporary art.