Mike and Doug Starn

This volume reproduces many pieces by this twin-brother collaborative team. Documentary photographs, also made by the Starns, show works in progress in their studio. These artists combine a spirit of avant-garde experimentalism with a classic sense of beauty to address such universal topics as human nature and mortality. Befitting their identities as twins, duality is an oft-repeated theme. They frequently appropriate works by such artists as DaVinci, Copley, and Picasso. Such wide-ranging thematic and formal concerns have made Mike and Doug Starns a dynamic force in art today. In his accompanying essay, Andy Grundberg discusses their beginnings in photography and their innovations in the medium, as well as providing a thoughtful assessment of their already rarified role in shaping contemporary art.