Mark Grotjahn: Masks

The first, and only, book dedicated to Mark Grotjahn’s rarely seen colorful cast bronze sculptures. Over 100 sculptures illustrated. Mark Grotjahn’s Mask sculptures are deceptive. Cast in bronze from spontaneous cardboard assemblages that he has been working on privately for over a decade, they record all the nuances of the original found material with its corrugations, dents, tears, and creases. The bronzes are vigorously painted, often with the fingers, in a riotous spectrum of color. The Mask sculptures recall the simple cardboard-box constructions typical of early classroom activity—emulated so charmingly by Pablo Picasso for his own children during the idyllic Mediterranean years.

Glenn O’Brien is an American writer, largely on the subjects of art, music, and fashion. His most recent book is The Cool School: Writing from America’s Hip Underground. Dakin Hart is senior curator at the Noguchi Museum and was previously assistant director at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas.