Author Description

Despite his prolific and diverse practice, Robert Overby (1935-93) remains one of the best kept secrets in postwar American art. Rarely exhibiting during his lifetime, Overby--who worked for much of his life as a graphic designer in Los Angeles--nevertheless built up an extraordinary, multifaceted body of work encompassing sculpture, installation, painting, photography, print and collage. He is perhaps best known for his doors, windows and building facades cast in rubber, latex and concrete, a series of works that set off a rigorous period of experimentation with materials and a consistent exploration of the human condition and its decay. This monograph is published on the occasion of the first survey exhibition of the artist's work to be organized in Europe, which brings together more than 50 of Overby's works drawn from European and American collections.