Cornelia Parker

The first full survey of the work of a British artist whose art has captured the public imagination since the 1990s Cornelia Parker (b. 1956) is one of the most thoughtful and poetic artists working in Britain today. Her wide-ranging practice, chiefly in sculpture and installation, touches on the fragility of human experience and is rich with visual allusions and literary innuendo. Parker’s dynamic projects have included blowing up a shed, steamrolling musical instruments, exploding a firework made from a pulverized meteorite, and suspending charcoal taken from a church struck by lightning.

This monograph traces the development of her art from the late 1970s to the present day. Organized chronologically, the book covers the small-scale sculptures she made while still a student; her work in lead, plaster, silver, and gold; drawings; photographs; video pieces; and installations. Over 175 works are illustrated and each is accompanied by a commentary from the artist herself. Five thematic essays by the curator and writer Iwona Blazwick contextualize Parker’s work and point to her key influences and concerns.

    360 illustrations, 315 in color