PRE-ORDER - Robert Ryman: The Real Thing
PRE-ORDER ONLY. RELEASES LATE OCTOBER 2026.
A 432-page exhibition catalogue accompanying the major new retrospective at Barbican Art Gallery (10/8/2026-2/28/2027), Robert Ryman: The Real Thing celebrates the late American artist Robert Ryman (1930–2019), whose rigorous and playful paintings pushed the boundaries of the medium for nearly 60 years.
Edited by Wells Fray-Smith, curator of the exhibition at the Barbican, and Matt Connors, painter and founder of Pre-Echo Press, the book documents the full range of Ryman’s paintings, revealing the variety of work he produced as he experimented with the limits and possibilities of painting. Alongside new scholarship from influential writers, artists and musicians including Darby English, Roni Horn, Howardena Pindell and Richard Tuttle, this book includes previously unseen archival material and pays special attention to Ryman’s studio and previous installations of his work. A vital resource for understanding the depth and significance of Ryman’s practice, this beautiful volume reveals his steadfast belief that painting, when really seen, is for pleasure.
Designed by Studio Mathias Clottu, this book has been conceived as a material and tactile object in its own right. The bespoke white double jacket, with an under layer of card and top layer of folded glassine, subtly nods to Ryman’s own careful attention to materials.
Paperback
8 x 11 inches
432 pages (200 color)
ISBN: 979-8-9948339-0-2
PE-26
PRE-ORDER ONLY. RELEASES LATE OCTOBER 2026.
A 432-page exhibition catalogue accompanying the major new retrospective at Barbican Art Gallery (10/8/2026-2/28/2027), Robert Ryman: The Real Thing celebrates the late American artist Robert Ryman (1930–2019), whose rigorous and playful paintings pushed the boundaries of the medium for nearly 60 years.
Edited by Wells Fray-Smith, curator of the exhibition at the Barbican, and Matt Connors, painter and founder of Pre-Echo Press, the book documents the full range of Ryman’s paintings, revealing the variety of work he produced as he experimented with the limits and possibilities of painting. Alongside new scholarship from influential writers, artists and musicians including Darby English, Roni Horn, Howardena Pindell and Richard Tuttle, this book includes previously unseen archival material and pays special attention to Ryman’s studio and previous installations of his work. A vital resource for understanding the depth and significance of Ryman’s practice, this beautiful volume reveals his steadfast belief that painting, when really seen, is for pleasure.
Designed by Studio Mathias Clottu, this book has been conceived as a material and tactile object in its own right. The bespoke white double jacket, with an under layer of card and top layer of folded glassine, subtly nods to Ryman’s own careful attention to materials.
Paperback
8 x 11 inches
432 pages (200 color)
ISBN: 979-8-9948339-0-2
PE-26