Max Ferguson, “Lulu in New York,” 2014, oil on panel, 12 x 12 inches

The compelling works of painter Max Ferguson feature in an upcoming publication by author Robert Power that could look very nice on your coffee table. Details here!

We don’t typically publish articles about publications, but when it features the stunning works of Max Ferguson, our ears perk up. Titled Lulu in New York and Other Tales, the newest text by author Robert Power is a beautifully crafted volume of 60 individual stories inspired by Ferguson’s paintings.

Max Ferguson, “Doll Hospital,” 2005, oil on panel, 30 x 20 inches
Max Ferguson, “Doll Hospital,” 2005, oil on panel, 30 x 20 inches
Max Ferguson, “Strand Book Store,” 2010, oil on panel, 16 x 22 inches
Max Ferguson, “Strand Book Store,” 2010, oil on panel, 16 x 22 inches

Via Unicorn Press, “Often featuring solitary figures, the brooding atmospheres and urban landscapes of Max Ferguson’s paintings have a narrative and cinematic quality that hints at hidden stories, secrets, and conversations waiting to happen. Robert Power’s critically acclaimed fiction of longing and resolution, alienation and loving, provides the perfect vehicle to breathe life into these luscious paintings.

Max Ferguson, “Couple in Hallway,” 2009, oil on panel, 12 x 9 inches
Max Ferguson, “Couple in Hallway,” 2009, oil on panel, 12 x 9 inches
Max Ferguson, “Chess Players,” 1991, oil on panel, 30 x 19 inches
Max Ferguson, “Chess Players,” 1991, oil on panel, 30 x 19 inches

Lulu in New York and Other Tales is an exquisite and beautifully crafted volume of sixty stories from Power, inspired by Ferguson’s paintings. Some of the pictures, like ‘Chess Players’ and ‘Interiors’ lent themselves to whimsical or heart-rending conversations. Others, such as ‘Women in Bath,’ ‘Subway,’ and ‘Billy’s Topless’ have violence and menace simmering at their core. And then there are paintings that tell tales of reflection and of love both lost and found. An aged ‘Mr. Gordon’ looking over the East River. The couple in ‘Bobby Short’ recalling their first meeting. And another ‘Couple in Hallway’ stumbling over their words, saddened by infidelity.”

Max Ferguson, “Atlantic City,” 1998, oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches
Max Ferguson, “Atlantic City,” 1998, oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches

Unicorn Press is set to release the book on May 24 at Strand Bookstore in New York City. Both artist and author will be on hand, live readings will take place, and models in costume will entertain the crowd.

Max Ferguson, “Billy’s Topless,” 1991, oil on panel, 20 x 30 inches
Max Ferguson, “Billy’s Topless,” 1991, oil on panel, 20 x 30 inches

Max Ferguson’s next solo exhibition opens today, May 4, at New York City’s Bernarducci Meisel Gallery and will continue through May 27.

This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.


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Andrew Webster is the former Editor of Fine Art Today and worked as an editorial and creative marketing assistant for Streamline Publishing. Andrew graduated from The University of North Carolina at Asheville with a B.A. in Art History and Ceramics. He then moved on to the University of Oregon, where he completed an M.A. in Art History. Studying under scholar Kathleen Nicholson, he completed a thesis project that investigated the peculiar practice of embedded self-portraiture within Christian imagery during the 15th and early 16th centuries in Italy.

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