A SHORTER ENCYCLOPEDIA

A SHORTER ENCYCLOPEDIA (2003), six archival inkjet prints 57cm x 76.5cm, is inspired by Madame de Pompadour. Although Pompadour managed to convince Louis XV to support the publication of the Encyclopédie, the knowledge it offered the French did not include answers to questions that Aptekar thought might be central to her life. So he created a kind…

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Ken Aptekar is an artist who combines painting with text. He paints new versions of historical paintings and frames, bolting glass with sandblasted words to his painted panels. Aptekar’s work belongs to the tradition of painting, yet he brings to that tradition a recognition that paintings produce meaning only through their interaction with viewers. He…