Description: Monster Roster: Existentialist Art in Postwar Chicago (on view at the Smart Museum in winter/spring 2016) will be accompanied by a comprehensive publication--the first of its kind--that includes an introductory essay by critic and collector Dennis Adrian; an overview of the Monster Roster by John Corbett; an essay about the historical context out of which the Monster Roster emerged by historian Thomas Dyja; a discussion of Monster Roster prints by art historian and curator Marc Pascale; an in depth look at Leon Golub's early work by art historian Jon Bird; and a personal response to the Monster Roster's work by contemporary artist Arlene Shechet. There will also be historic reprints of key texts including Franz Schulze's 1972 essay "Chicago: The Setting and the Group" from Fantastic Images: Chicago Art Since 1945 as well as Jean Dubuffet's lecture "Anticultural Positions" given at the Arts Club of Chicago in 1951. The publication will also contain full-color reproductions of all work on view in Monster Roster, a detailed chronology and exhibition history, and reproductions of ephemera and historical photographs.
Brief description: John Corbett is the author of several books, including A Listener's Guide to Free Improvisation, Vinyl Freak: Love Letters to a Dying Medium, and Microgroove: Forays into Other Music. He is co-owner of Corbett vs. Dempsey, an art gallery in Chicago.
Review Quotes: Winner of an Award for Excellence from the Association of Art Museum Curators-- "Association of Art Museum Curators"