COMIC HORROR. - Lot 159

COMIC HORROR. The Aesthetics of Slapstick. Paris, Centre Georges Pompidou, 2004. In-4 (30 × 24 cm), illustrated paperback. Approximately 240 pages, lavishly illustrated in black-and-white and color. Catalog published in conjunction with the exhibition organized by the Centre Pompidou, exploring the relationships between burlesque, violence, and the artistic avant-garde. The book offers a reflection on the tradition of slapstick, from Mack Sennett, Larry Semon, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, and Roscoe Arbuckle to contemporary artists such as Bruce Nauman, Paul McCarthy, Tony Oursler, and Jack Smith. It highlights the enduring nature of an aesthetic of the grotesque in which laughter arises from cruelty, destruction, and the disfigurement of the body. Illustrated with numerous reproductions of films, photographs, posters, visual artworks, and archival documents, this catalog is now a standard reference on the connections between burlesque cinema, art history, and contemporary visual culture. Condition: very good copy, nearly new. Covers show slight signs of handling with no notable flaws. Interior is in pristine condition.