The Century Hit Puberty

The Century Hit Puberty:
Selected Essays 2010-2014 
Book Signing & Discussion

Sunday, September 27th, 4-7pm

The Century Hit Puberty: Selected Essays 2010-2014
By Mat Gleason.
Book signing and discussion.
Sunday, September 27th, 2015
4-7 PM

The New York Times described Mat Gleason as a “famously provocative Los Angeles art critic,” while the L.A. Weekly once referred to him as a “cranky, self-exiled gossipmonger.” In 1992 he founded and continues to publish Coagula Art Journal, the “National Enquirer of the Art World” as the New York Observer called it. He has written for many art publications, from Britain’s Modern Painters to the Lollapalooza Concert Tour’s art program. The early issues of Coagula were anthologized in the book MOST ART SUCKS (Smart Art Press, 1998) and in his 1999 review of the book, David Bowie raved: “Gleason clobbers the closed door snobbishness that has increasingly distanced the public from the rarefied air of the art world.”

Gleason has been featured regularly on the Ovation TV Network as a voice of critical sanity in the realm of contemporary art and appeared alongside artists John Baldessari, Richard Tuttle, and Agnes Martin in the art world documentary Art City: Simplicity as well as the artist documentaries Llyn Foulkes: One Man Band and Robert Williams, Mister Bitchin’. Since 2010, he has been a contentious yet popular art critic at the Huffington Post’s Arts page. In 2012 he opened Coagula Curatorial, an influential gallery in Los Angeles that is active at many international art fairs.

“Mat Gleason is my favorite contrarian on the LA art scene: blunt but humane, the proverbial drill sergeant with a heart of gold. Mat knows a whole lot, and cares deeply about what’s going on around him, so that even when I disagree with him—roughly 30% of the time—I admire that he’s typically seasoned his point with some caustic humor, along with a barb or two at an ample cross-section of the art world’s sacred cows. His writing is the antithesis of the jargon-heavy academic theorizing that passes too often for art criticism, and having first read many of these short essays online, I am thoroughly gratified to reaffirm that not once over the past five years did I inadvertently get on his bad side!” —Dan Cameron

“OMG. I have never met anyone with whom I agreed so wholeheartedly and disagreed so emphatically. One minute he says things that make me feel like I’ve met my soul mate, and the next I want to pop him in the nose. Because inside Mat Gleason is both a mushy idealist and a cynic and…well, it’s good I don’t have to live with him. His characterization of Dennis Hopper suits Mat as well: “…a work of art, perpetually and insatiably seeking to possess multiple meanings and cash them in to indulge in every experience under the sun.” –Carol Diehl

Mat will also be celebrating his 51st birthday, so come celebrate with the author and sit for a discussion moderated by La Luz de Jesus Gallery Director Matt Kennedy. Topics from the book will be addressed and questions taken from the audience. The discussion begins promptly at 4:30pm. Seating is limited. Books will be available for purchase.

Mat Gleason – The Century Hit Puberty: Selected Essays 2010-2014
Retail price $9.99
Paperback: 164 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (August 4, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1502808749
ISBN-13: 978-1502808745
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.4 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounce

Only books purchased here will qualify for signing.
Reserve your signed copies today!
Contact the book store for purchase information.
(323)663-0122 or sales@soapplant.com

Contact Gallery Director Matthew Gardocki for purchase info:
info@laluzdejesus.com  (323)666-7667