Karen Kilimnik was the first artist from whom I ever bought an artwork, which makes this book feel as much like a personal history as an exhibition catalogue.
Published on the occasion of her exhibition at The Brant Foundation, the book captures the extraordinary range of an artist whose work has never fit comfortably into categories. Paintings, drawings, photographs, installations, history, fantasy, literature, ballet, celebrity, royalty, animals, architecture, and art history all coexist within her singular universe.
What I have always loved about Karen’s work is its complete commitment to its own logic. The paintings can feel romantic, eccentric, humorous, melancholic, theatrical, and deeply intelligent all at once. They move effortlessly between high culture and popular culture, historical fact and imagination, observation and invention.
Many artists create worlds. Karen creates a way of seeing. Her work allows beauty, fantasy, memory, and desire to exist without apology and without irony.
Having lived with one of her works for many years, I continue to find new things in it. The best art expands over time, revealing itself differently as we change. Karen’s work has always done that for me.
What the book ultimately reminds me is how rare it is to encounter an artist whose work remains entirely their own. One painting and you know exactly who made it. That kind of originality is far less common than we sometimes think.
.jpg)
