Steidlville

This catalogue of artworks from the influential collection of Californian collectors Pamela and Richard Kramlich presents an overview of the thinking involved in their collecting practice. Since the late 1980s, the Kramlichs have collected primarily in the field of time-based, or moving image art, including works by Marina Abramovic, Bruce Nauman, Mathew Barney, James Coleman and Eija-Liisa Ahtila among others. Their ground-breaking collection evolved over the past 15 years during a period of an unprecedented surge in the use of film and video by artists. Including both contemporary and historical works, this volume includes works in other, more traditional, media with a view to contextualizing the rich history of film and video art, and the collection itself.
With five essays by collection curator Christopher Eamon, in-depth entries on each work of art, over 300 installation shots, stills and frame enlargements, an index of artworks and artists, and a complete bibliography on the collection, this volume provides new possibilities for continued scholarship in the field, as well as an attractive resource guide to the time-based art of the last half century. By presenting selections from the collection in the context of five hypothetical exhibitions, Prime Mover expands our understanding of both the art of the past and today’s artistic engagements with film and video installation art.