The Hammer Museum presents seminal comic artist R. Crumb’s adaptation of the first book of the Old Testament, the Book of Genesis. Crumb has spent the last five years on this incredibly ambitious endeavor. The exhibition features 207 individual, black and white drawings incorporating every word from all fifty chapters, as well as a cover, title page, introduction and back cover. Each drawing contains six to eight comic panels illustrating the stories of Adam and Eve, Noah’s Ark, Sodom and Gomorrah, and more. Using his signature bawdy style, Crumb’s version of the Book of Genesis puts an entirely new twist on the Bible.
R. Crumb’s exhibition at the Hammer Museum is preceded by solo exhibitions at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco; the Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; The Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Whitechapel Art Gallery, London; David Zwirner, New York; and Paul Morris Gallery, New York.
The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb, with a handwritten introduction by the artist, and edited by Robert Weil, is published by W.W. Norton. The hardcover catalogue is 224 pages and will be released next week.
Great review of ‘The Book Of Genesis’ by R. Crumb here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/25/books/review/Hajdu-t.html
Pre-order the book here:
http://www.amazon.com/Book-Genesis-Illustrated-R-Crumb/dp/0393061027
Plus be sure to mark your calendars now for this coming Thurs:
On Thurs, October 29th at Royce Hall, R. Crumb will be joined by, longtime friend and art editor for The New Yorker, Françoise Mouly, for a candid discussion about his life and this new project at UCLA. This is a very rare public appearance and one not to be missed. For more information, click here: http://www.uclalive.org/event.asp?Event_ID=676
And be sure to mark your calendars as well for Tue, Nov. 3rd:
Special screening of the movie ‘Crumb’ – shot over a period of six years, director Terry Zwigoff’s Crumb is an illuminating portrait of the controversial comic artist. The film uses uncensored interviews with the artist, his family, colleagues, critics, and ex-lovers, along with footage of his work, to paint a riveting picture of Crumb and the influences that have endowed his creativity. Details via the link below:
http://hammer.ucla.edu/programs/detail/program_id/326
“The Bible Illuminated: R. Crumb’s Book Of Genesis”
On view through February 7th, 2010
Hammer Museum
10899 Wilshire Blvd in Los Angeles (Westwood area)
Hours:
Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat 11am – 7pm*
Thu 11am – 9pm
Sun 11am – 5pm
$7 admission
http://hammer.ucla.edu/
