Daniel Buren: Esquisses Graphiques: Excentrique(s), Monumenta 2012

Famed for his extension of painting beyond the canvas, via the use of stripes of color that frequently extend into the spaces in which the work is exhibited, Daniel Buren (born 1938) is one of France’s most internationally esteemed artists. As a guest artist in Paris’ art festival Monumenta, 2012, Buren has executed a vibrant and eccentric installation in the nave of the Grand Palais. Visitors are confronted by circular planes of colored glass that section off the space into different levels, creating an overall kaleidoscopic, mesmerizing effect. A collection of the preparatory sketches for his project, this book follows the development of Buren’s imagination and process from the initial stages—abandonment, remodeling and combination—to the final choices. The compilation is not limited to drawings, but instead, examines his “graphic sketches,” that is, as Buren himself notes, constituted by “anything that helps me clarify certain thoughts.”