"Stunning. Impressive monograph."-- Art Review "Whether in Paris beside the Pompidou, in an office block in Antwerp or a wharf building by the Hudson River in New York, what [Matta-Clark] did is irrecoverable - a matter now of images (photographs and films), contemporary accounts and current reminiscences. And in this respect, the Phaidon book is very valuable. In the main essay, Thomas Crow gives a lucid, informative account of Matta-Clark's art and times, but it is the documents towards the end of the book - reprints of articles, recollections by surviving colleagues and friends, and above all several interviews with Matta-Clark himself, in which he is very articulate about his motives and tactics - that really bring his enterprise alive."-- Architects' Journal "Crow's text. while vividly reanimating the freewheeling 1970s. mostly works to brush off the brick-dust of history that has covered [Matta-Clark].
The book has an air of completeness not only because it is a start-to-finish record of Matta-Clark's work. but also because it is lavishly illustrated, with each major project recorded in sketches, plans and documentary photographs. The ever-expanding world of Matta-Clark studies needs such a book, as does anyone interested in the social possibilities of sculpture. In an echo of the artists' peeling back the skin of buildings, the spine of this hardback book has been cut away, revealing the binding beneath: a labour of love, satisfied with a job well done, allowing itself a moment of levity."-- Modern Painters "Crow is very good at weaving the biographical details of Matta-Clark's life into the analysis of his art. Given Matta-Clark's inspirational nature, the filmic narrative of his life and the visual impact of his work, I defy any writer to make a boring book out of him. And Crow, who is an insightful art historian, also tells a good story. Then there the generous illustrations.
The pictures of Matta-Clark at work among friends and accomplices convey an infectious spirit of creative fun."-- Justin McGuirk, Icon "Gordon's work spotlights and pinpoints one of the crucial ideas of modern art - actually doing and redoing an absurd idea. This might sound strange, but he was both a Minimalist and a Surrealist."-- John Baldessari, artist.