Charline von Heyl

Charline von Heyl (born 1960) synthesizes elements of Cubism, Abstract Expressionism and the brasher imagery of popular culture in a fascinating brand of abstraction that seems eternally poised on the lip of figuration. Resolutely devoted to energetic gesture and joyous expression, von Heyl also aspires to create images that declare an enigmatic self-sufficiency: “What I’m trying to do is to create an image that has the iconic value of a sign but remains ambiguous in its meaning,” she told Bomb magazine in a 2010 interview. “Something that feels like a representation but isn’t.” In the spirit of von Heyl’s work, this volume--published for the artist’s first U.S. museum survey-- attempts to break free of the conventions of the museum catalogue, with an artist-designed cover and poster-sized reproductions of each of the 18 paintings included in the show.