Bob Law

A Retrospective
Texts by David Batchelor, Antony Bond, Anna Lovatt, Jo Melvin, Giuseppe Panza and an interview with the artist by Richard Cork
Hardback

Publisher: Ridinghouse 2009.

ISBN: 978 1 905464 26 5

Dimensions: 29.4 × 24.5 cm | 11 5/8 x 9 5/8 in

Pages: 256 pp, 300 colour ill
£28

Inspired by the landscape of St.Ives, Bob Law's seemingly simple outlines around the perimeter of the paper lead to a minimalist exploration of lines, shapes and forms. Pushing the boundaries, Law went on to make a series of black paintings consisting of different combinations of dark colours.

 

A prolific artist throughout his lifetime, Law struggled with ideas surrounding the legitimacy and significance of abstraction in both painting and drawing. He took up sculpture in the 1970s, which extended and expanded his oeuvre.

 

Accompanying 300 illustrations, six texts explore different moments of and themes within Law's work. Anna Lovatt explores the role of drawing throughout; Jo Melvin introduces pivotal exhibitions during the 1960–70s; Anthony Bond provides an overview of the work and its relationship to art history; and David Batchelor revisits his 1999 essay that describes visual and conceptual themes throughout Law's work. Richard Cork's 1974 interview with Bob Law and Giuseppe Panza's recollection of the artist are both reproduced in this comprehensive volume.