This first major book on John Altoon, a legendary figure of the Los Angeles art scene in the 1960s, examines the artist's work not only in the context of his peers but also considers his resonance for later generations of artists. Renowned as much for his charismatic and mercurial personality as for his vibrant and visceral drawings and paintings, John Altoon is perhaps the least familiar of all the original Ferus Gallery (Los Angeles) artists - a group that included Robert Irwin, Edward Kienholz, Ken Price, and Ed Ruscha. Published to coincide with the first major Altoon retrospective, this book includes works that demonstrate the constant interplay between figuration and abstraction in his oeuvre, as well as the artist's facility with line and colour. Dynamic and often erotically charged, the drawings and paintings are intimately connected - Altoon's exuberant canvases both respond to and inform the primal energy of his works on paper. This book includes photographs of many previously undocumented works, a historical and contextual essay as well as a distinctive text by artist Paul McCarthy, and brief statements by several other contemporary artists. AUTHOR: Carol S. Eliel is curator of modern art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She has organised numerous important exhibitions and in 1999 was named a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts and des Lettres by the French government. 100 illustrations
