Gordon Matta-Clark

Published in 2022 by the University of California Press, this scholarly monograph provides a focused examination of the influential American artist Gordon Matta-Clark. The volume situates Matta-Clark’s practice within the experimental art movements of the 1970s, specifically highlighting his 'anarchitectural' interventions where he literally sliced through abandoned buildings. By documenting these ephemeral site-specific projects, the book serves as a vital bridge for contemporary audiences to understand the radical transformation of space and urban critique that defined the artist's brief but impactful career.

The text was authored by Gwendolyn Owens, who curated the accompanying exhibition of the same name at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University. Owens designed the work to provide a comprehensive look at the artist’s process, incorporating archival materials and visual documentation to contextualize how Matta-Clark challenged traditional boundaries between sculpture, architecture, and photography. The book has been received as a significant contribution to the study of 20th-century conceptual art, prized for its clarity and depth in capturing the physical complexity of Matta-Clark's legacy.