Wayne Thiebaud (fondation Beyeler)

Wayne Thiebaud’s famous, literally candy-colored still lifes of pies, cakes, gumball machines, and lipsticks reflect the promise and abundance of the American way of life – a society of plenty, where supply exceeds demand. The tactile impression created by his pasty layers of paint brings the objects to life and creates an atmosphere in which irony and melancholy are carefully balanced. Testing the possibilities of painterly expression, Thiebaud’s brilliant painting technique explores the boundaries of the real and imagined world. This catalog presents all aspects of the legendary American artist’s oeuvre, including still lifes and portraits, as well as his deserted, multi-perspective cityscapes and river landscapes, in luminous pastels that exude a peculiar summertime sadness.