Bendix Harms: Chosen Ones

Chosen Ones is a comprehensive monograph on the work of German painter Bendix Harms (born 1967), spanning over 15 years of work. A repertoire of motifs recurs throughout the nearly 400-page volume: birds, trees, airplanes, cars and the artist's profile, all rendered in loose, exuberant strokes of gray and muddy orange. Drawing on elusive autobiographical references, the paintings--whether of grotesque figures or more surrealistic scenes--are often humorous and suggestively narrative, compelling in their apparent disregard for and liberation from concept. I love artists late works, he has said, when they display a completely free style because it no longer matters whether their work will earn them applause or a rap over the knuckles. The first major monograph on the artist, Chosen Ones features texts by Gisela Corleis and Grace Dunham as well as black-and-white photographs by Harms, in addition to reproductions of more than 300 paintings.