Being an Artist. Julio Gonzlez

A richly illustrated catalog, with biography, of artist Julio Gonzlez. The sculptures of Julio Gonzlez (18761942) were shown at MoMA in 1956, and our understanding of his influence on modern art has grown steadily since. This lavishly illustrated book offers a new, highly nuanced account of Gonzlezs life, work, and legacy. Beginning with Gonzlezs complex family relationships, Juan Jos Lahuerta explores the tensions involved as Gonzlez sought to combine his craft with efforts to become a painter, as the Romantic, bohemian mentality of the late nineteenth century had idealized. Lahuerta also explores the importance of Gonzlezs relationships with Picasso and other contemporaries, which helps us understand how, in the 1930s, his nave artists urge was replaced by a radical urge to make art that would break every taboo related to tradition, craft, and material. The second section of the book offers a stunning presentation of the new exhibition of the Julio Gonzlez collection at the Institut Valenci d'Art Modern. The book will serve as a milestone in our understanding of Gonzlezs work and influence.