This new publication Robert Breer A-Z is a self-portrait of the major contemporary artist Robert Breer. One of the key figures in the history of experimental film, Breer spoke and wrote eloquently over his long and prolific career about his radical approach that reconnected film to the core concerns of 20th century painting and sculpture.

Drawn from interviews, personal letters and public statements from 1957 to 2009, Robert Breer A-Z brings into a single volume Breer’s wide-ranging thoughts on the fundamental issues the contemporary artist must confront – from reconciling fine art and popular culture to surviving and preserving artistic integrity in an increasingly commodified art market.

Breer’s reflections on his life and work are presented as an imaginary lexicon, a form which he always admired as being emblematic of the joyous, unexpected, and chaotic nature of life itself.

The 164-page book is lavishly illustrated with detailed frame-by-frame sequences from his extraordinary films as well as examples of his multiple forays into painting, drawing and, most importantly, kinetic sculpture.

Edited by Scott Hammen with an introduction by Govett-Brewster Art Gallery director Simon Rees, Robert Breer A-Z is co-published by AFEA Editions, Re:Voir and the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery.

‘Breer packs more into three minutes than most filmmakers put into two hours. And though the films at first seem whimsical or merely pleasant, they’re not. They have a strong sense of the imminence of chaos and catastrophe. Like all great comic artists, Breer knows that any move could end in disaster.’ - Amy Taubin, Soho Weekly News

164 pages, illustrations in full color
19 cm x 15 cm
Publication date: 28 April 2016
Publishers: AFEA Editions, Re:Voir, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery
ISBN: 978-2-909383-04-0

For the first time a comprehensive collection of Robert Breer's film masterpieces are simultaneously being released on two DVDs. These are available individually or as a box set with the book.