Love for Sale: The Words and Pictures of Barbara Kruger

People who don't appreciate the work of Barbara Kruger are blinded by their own bigotry, ignorance and fear to examine themself. All of her work is essential and should not be ignored by a single person. This is a great introduction to Barbara.

"LOVE FOR SALE" THE WORDS AND PICTURES OF BARBARA KRUGER, is a ~must~ for anyone concerned with modern art, these days! Barbara constantly ~hits~ us, in full ~frontal-attack~ with her words! I was very fortunate to study under her, while attending the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and, MORE fortunate, today to own a couple of her original signed prints. Even my dinner guests, dining here in my home, here in Florence Italy, are left ~stunned~ and with an open-mouth, while studying her prints. BUY-THIS-BOOK-NOW...YOU WONT BE DISSAPOINTED!

Barbara Kruger's art, often pairing appropriated black & white photos with blocks of bold-faced type, has appeared on billboards, bus placards, posters, t-shirts and even shopping bags. She's big on circulating her stuff outside of conventional venues such as galleries and exhibits. This book showcases her brilliant work with plenty of full-page plates as well as photos of her installations and projects. There's a brief introduction covering her early design work for "Mademoiselle" magazine in the '60s and for various book covers in the '70s, up through her progression into the art world by the '80s. The pages of text are accompanied by assorted quotes from a variety of individuals (Edgar Allen Poe, Mae West, Sandra Bernhard). The influence of Kruger's stuff continues to turn up. Her work has been lifted for music videos (Motley Crue, Rage Against The Machine) and album covers (Snog, Consolidated), and her style is commonly imitated by lazy advertisers. This collection is an impressive and inspiring look at her career and her contribution to the world of art and design.

I thoroughly enjoyed Love for Sale: the Words and Pictures of Barbara Kruger. It was very interesting to see the wide variety of topics that she covers in her art. Some of the statements she makes can sometimes be difficult to admit or to bring up, but she boldly states the truth of the matter. I highly reccommend this book to art students, as I am, because I think it teaches us a lesson on being brave in stating our message and opinions. Barbara Kruger is my hero, and after looking at this book, she'll be yours, too.

If you're not afraid to explore the darker areas of self (especially if you're a male) Kruger's work probes deep into the psyche of late 20th century patriarchal consumerism and the values of the dominant culture. Whether you love photography or love critical theory, Kruger will delight you and disturb your idea of self as you are dazzled by starkly arranged works that appear to read you instead of you reading them.