For Michael Zavros fans who are unable to afford the hefty price tag of one his masterpieces, his debut monograph could be the next best thing.
The 212 pages feature over 120 of the artist’s works, showcasing his broad practice including still life arrangements, self portraits, Greek mythology, men’s fashion, and gilded interior design.
The beautiful hardback goes beyond imagery however, and includes quotes from interviews with the artist which help to shed light on the method and ideas behind his work, along with insightful essays by some of the art world’s leading figures.
Based in Queensland, the Greek Australian is well-known and celebrated for his hyper-realistic paintings, and more recently has added photography, sculpture, film and performance to his name.
Unlike other artists of his generation, who Zavros observes tend to be drawn to making a political statement through their work, he instead pursues an aesthetic.
“I think a lot of artists worry about making some sort of commentary that so often I think is just not working very well,” he told Neos Kosmos in an interview this time last year.
“I think we have to explain a lot as artists; we like to think that there is some sort of important message, that is, the work is critically interesting, that we’re imparting, and I don’t think that is always the case.”
That’s not to say his work is void of meaning however.
A recurrent subject in his art has been his eldest daughter Phoebe, whom has often been referred to as his muse. One of his most famous and controversial pieces titled Phoebe is Dead/McQueen sees a five-year-old Phoebe lying perfectly still with an Alexander McQueen Scarf draped over her, which went on to win him the world’s richest art prize in 2010, the $150,000 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize.
The Queensland College of Art graduate’s sought-after works have been collected by major museums and for private collections around the world, including the National Gallery of Australia and the National Portrait Gallery.
In 2012 he took out the inaugural Bulgari Art Award through the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and in 2016 won the Mosman Art Prize.
Michael Zavros’ book will be launched at Masons Boutique in Melbourne on Wednesday 29 November and at the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) on Saturday 2 December. For further details visit manuscriptdaily.com/2017/11/michael-zavros-2/