Josef Albers

Josef Albers (1888-1976) believed firmly in art s spiritual dimension. Among his several aphorisms on the topic, none reflects the humble, ascetic character of his spiritual disposition better than the following: Easy to know that diamonds are precious. Good to know that rubies have depth. But more to see that pebbles are miraculous . Conceived by the renowned Albers expert Nicholas Fox Weber, who directed the Albers Foundation for 20 years and knew the artist well, Spirituality and Rigor presents a selection of work by Albers that illustrates his ascetic spirituality and his deeply felt Catholicism. The book stems in part from Fox Weber s The Sacred Modernist: Josef Albers as a Catholic Artist, and is augmented with additional work by Fabio De Chirico. It includes Albers early drawings of country churches and cathedrals; Rosa Mystica , his stained glass window for St Michael s Church, and other glass works containing religious imagery; his abstractions of crosses and geometric abstractions with spiritually themed titles, from his Black Mountain years; his prints of Mexican gods; photographic interpretations of the theme of angels; and a selection from the  Homage to the Square  series. Text in English and French.