Awaiting the Collapse: Selected works 1974-2014 #[nn]

Four decades of Paul Kirchner's singular vision come together in this handsome collection, spanning work from 1974 through 2014. The cover sets the tone perfectly: a cigar-smoking skull in a wide-brimmed cowboy hat looms above a surreal night sky crowded with nude human figures gliding on mechanical, propeller-driven wings through billowing clouds. It's the kind of image that rewards a long look — darkly playful and meticulously rendered, a fine introduction to Kirchner's unmistakable blend of the eerie and the absurd.