Author Description

The art world lost a unique talent and sensitive soul when Dutch artist Bas Jan Ader (1942-1975) died during his project "In Search of the Miraculous," which involved crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a sail boat. Bas Jan Ader's melancholy and metaphysical art built upon themes developed in the literary and dramatic work of Samuel Beckett--an artistic kindred spirit of Jan Ader's. Intensive research has allowed his entire body of work to be collected here, for the first time. Included here are such remarkable projects as "Fall"--a shocking series of film stills in which the artist is seen falling from a tree or the roof of a house--and the well-known photography series "I'm Too Sad to Tell You", which consists of portraits of the artist, weeping. Brilliantly collecting and presenting the artist's amazing selection of pieces, along with several insightful essays, "Implosion" is a moving document of an all-too-brief career.