Jim Shaw: Thinking the Unthinkable

Jim Shaw is an artist who has been inspired by comics, pulp novels, album covers, and amateur paintings for over three decades. His works span painting, drawing, and sculpture, juxtaposing images of friends, family, and dreams with world events, pop culture, and alternative realities. His first exhibition with Gagosian, "Jim Shaw Kills," explores the secret histories of psychedelic therapy, Hollywood legend, and nuclear war themes.

Format: Hardback
Length: 120 pages
Publication date: 12 March 2024
Publisher: Rizzoli International Publications

For over three decades, Jim Shaw has found inspiration in a diverse range of sources, including comics, pulp novels, album covers, and amateur paintings. His artistic creations are characterized by their intricate layers of humor and imaginative narratives. Shaw's artistic practice encompasses painting, drawing, and sculpture, seamlessly blending images of friends, family, dreams, and various aspects of world events, pop culture, and alternative realities.

To mark the occasion of his first exhibition with Gagosian in Beverly Hills, titled Thinking the Unthinkable (2023), this comprehensive and visually captivating catalogue delves into the enigmatic themes that permeate Shaw's recent works. An essay by Gagosian director Jessica Beck explores Shaw's hallucinogenic portrayals of iconic figures such as Cary Grant, Esther Williams, and Jeff Chandler. In a captivating conversation, author Rachel Kushner delves into the artist's formative years and the early weaponization of LSD. Additionally, the book features a captivating short fiction piece titled Jim Shaw Kills, written by Jonathan Lethem, in which a miniature version of Shaw is sent into the comatose body of an ex-president.

Through his diverse range of inspirations and artistic approaches, Jim Shaw has created a body of work that is both thought-provoking and visually captivating, resonating with audiences around the world.

Weight: 998g
Dimension: 244 x 326 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780847873944