Trucks

This book explores the iconic American vehicle - the truck - through the sculpture, paintings, prints, and drawings of Chicago-based artist John Himmelfarb. Trucks: Recent Works by John Himmelfarb is a decade-long visual exploration of different types of trucks and their place in everyday life. Himmelfarb adeptly shifts between mediums, style, and message in his works. The common truck under the hands of Himmelfarb becomes provocative, with each piece exuding its own personality. Himmelfarb's work traverses seamlessly through painting in acrylic, lithography, etching, silkscreen, and drawing in ink or pencil. His brushwork and drawing style are animated and playful, prompting the viewer to look at the everyday truck, and other hardworking vehicles, with a different perspective. In 2007, as a result of a three-month residency with the John Michael Kohler Arts Center Arts/Industry program, the artist established his first foray into sculpture and industrial design, and this presentation is the first documentation of Himmelfarb's new work in three dimension. As author Janet L. Farber eloquently says in her introductory essay, "Like sleuths, those following its path [an artist's career] look for clues of continuity, relishing works that tell us a little about their past while anticipating future directions. Fortunately, John Himmelfarb has hopped on a truck for the most recent part of his personal odyssey and left tire tracks behind."

Scott Griffin is a novelist who lives and works in Chicago and New Orleans. A former Peterbilt driver, he now lectures at the University of Chicago. Stephen Luecking is a professor at DePaul University in Chicago and writes in the fields of mathematics, philosophy, and art in addition to his work as a sculptor. Janet L. Farber is the director of the Phillip Schrager Collection of Contemporary Art in Omaha, Nebraska. A curator whose experience also includes more than 15 years overseeing modern and contemporary art at Joslyn Art Museum, she continues to write and consult on behalf of museums, galleries, and publications in her region.