Since the mid-1960s, Southern California artist John McCracken—a contemporary of Donald Judd—has been a leading voice of Minimalist sculpture. His monochromatic fiberglass and resin sculptures (that are worked to a high and nearly translucent polish) are iconic pieces of this genre. Sketchbook, published concurrently with an exhibition at David Zwirner in New York, presents the first of two treasured sketchbooks that McCracken used from the mid-60s until the mid-70s. These pages show his thought processes, insights, and working sketches—all of which pre-date and presage his later work. The format, paper and reproduction quality of the book have been designed to faithfully reproduce in facsimile the original pages from this fascinating document. A supplemental booklet, bound separately and inserted into a pocket in the back of the book, shows the sculptures in their realized form. Pushing the boundaries between art and architecture while manipulating the psychological and physiological processes inherent in abstraction, McCracken has carved out a unique niche within Minimalism that is tinged with the philosophical and metaphysical.

About the Artist

John McCracken was born in Berkeley in 1934 and attended the California College of Arts & Crafts in Oakland from 1957–1965. He has been a professor at both the University of California at Los Angeles and Santa Barbara as well as SVA in New York City. McCracken is represented by David Zwirner in New York. His work is in numerous collections worldwide. He lives and works in New Mexico.

About the Author

Neville Wakefield is an independent curator, critic and editor based in New York. He recently curated Defamation of Character, an international group exhibition on show until January 2007 at MOMA/PS1 in New York. In 2006 he co-founded and co-produced “Destricted,” a series of films about the representation of sexuality in art. He was appointed Curator of Frieze Projects at Frieze Art Fair in 2006.