Chris Burden

This comprehensive overview, the first to appear in almost a decade, examines an artistic career, that now must be viewed as one of the most fascinating in the history of Contemporary art. From his highly controversial and seminal performance works of the early 1970s, to his complex, imaginative installations and monumental sculptures, the art of Chris Burden uniquely informs as well as incorporates the major artistic undercurrents of the last three decades. Not only has the artist made a major contribution to the history of body-related performance art, but the artist's fascination with systems of power, societal organization, architectural structure and technological systems, have resulted in an extraordinary body of sculptural objects and environmental installations over the last 35 years. In compiling this publication the artist has worked closely with curator and long time associate Fred Hoffman, taking this opportunity to re-examine his work afresh and revealing images that are unpublished or rarely seen. Chris Burden's unwavering commitment to aesthetic clarity and purity shows here in the detailed documentation of his major works, both old and new. It extensively illustrates how the artist has uniquely combined the essence of minimalist aesthetics with some of the most advanced technological contributions of the industrial age. Previously unpublished images from Burden's archives and essays by distinguished scholars and critics make this an unprecedented examination of a vital artist.