Launch of the book Nina Childress, 1081 Paintings

In the form of a catalogue raisonné, this monograph takes an inventory of all of Nina Childress’s works—from her first painting in 1980 to those of 2020. The book’s phosphorescent cover recalls her recent works. The reproductions succeed one another in a systematically chronological order. They are meticulously captioned: year, medium, dimensions, location (public or private, destroyed or lost paintings), exhibitions, publications. Paintings of which there is no photograph are replaced by a solid green. Thus one can really understand the construction of her oeuvre during the period that covers “the end of painting, and its newfound acceptance”. A true “objet d’art”, this book is accompanied by an autobiography of Nina Childress written by Fabienne Radi. With subtle humour and in a very expressive way, Radi looks back at the career of this anti-conformist artist. Her text evokes a specific period—that of the 1980s and 1990s, when freedom was combined with fantasy and the politically incorrect.

The colourful story of the artist’s life reveals her career in the context of intense creative activity. At once an account of forty years of painting by a French-American artist living in Paris, an object for art historians to study, and a work-tool for those who circulate the oeuvre, this publication will, without any doubt, be a cult item for those who are nostalgic, and something enriching for young people.

The 750-page hardcover monograph comes with two bookmarks and includes more than 1400 illustrations. The 246-page biography includes 150 small black-and-white photos. These two separate books in the same format (17 x 24 cm) are held together by a green silicone elastic band.