Author Description

In March of 1999, ArtForum magazine devoted its cover story to the work of Bas Jan Ader and his posthumous retrospective at the University of California, Irvine. Long a cult figure in the L.A. art world, Ader has influenced well known artists including Charles Ray and Christopher Williams as well as a new wave of younger artists such as Jennifer Bornstein. Born in the Netherlands in 1942, Ader spent most of his adult life in the Los Angeles area. He studied at Otis College of Art and Design and at Claremont Graduate School; at the time of his death he was teaching at the University of California, Irvine. Ader is best known for using photography and film to document intensely personal performances. In 1975, as part of a major performance piece, Ader set off in a sailboat from Cape Cod intent on breaking the record for the quickest Atlantic crossing in a single-person vessel. In April, 1976, roughly nine months after his departure, the remains of this boat were found off the coast of Ireland. His body was never found. This exhibition catalogue documents the full range of Ader's performance, photographic, and film work.