Michael Snow: Sequences: A History of His Art

Canadian artist Michael Snow (born 1929) has been a central figure in North American postwar art; his influential films, such as Wavelength, rank alongside those of avant-garde auteurs such as Stan Brakhage and Gregory Markopoulos. Sequences is a complete monograph of this contemporary Renaissance man, who characterizes his oeuvre thus: “my paintings are done by a filmmaker, sculpture by a musician, films by a painter, music by a filmmaker, paintings by a sculptor, sculpture by a filmmaker, films by a musician, music by a sculptor.” Accordingly, Snow’s texts acknowledge the difficulties an artist faces in approaching multiple disciplines. Across 17 chapters, the artist offers a complete overview of his own work–an editorial task with which he is intimately familiar after having produced several remarkable artists’ books. At almost 400 pages, this hardcover is a tour- de-force on and by one of the most outstanding artists of our time.