Gary Hume: Flashback

Gary Hume first found international fame in the early 1990s, with his series of bold, abstract “door paintings.” As one of the YBAs, his work was featured in Freeze (1988) and Charles Saatchi’s Sensation (1997) exhibition. This beautifully presented book is published to accompany the third exhibition in the Flashback series, in which early acquisitions from key international artists are juxtaposed with newer works from British collections.

An insightful essay from Dave Hickey reflects on the risk and radicalism of the artist’s work. Through a consideration of the deflections from what one might term the mainstream of Hume’s work, Hickey locates his work in the context of other abstractionists of daily life, Alex Katz and Ellsworth Kelly.

Accompanying this text is a brilliantly captivating conversation between the artist and Caroline Douglas, in which Hume discusses everything from his penchant for Strictly Come Dancing to growing up with feminism, the Socialist Workers Party, and the impact this had on his distinctive visual language. A glorious celebration of a fascinating artist.

Florence Wright