Yale University Press publishes writings of Jack Tworkov. Edited by Mira Schor, this book, the first collection of Tworkov’s writings, sheds new light on the lives and studio practices of Tworkov and his colleagues as well as on Tworkov’s artistic theories and values. Jack Tworkov (1900--1982) was a significant figure of the Abstract Expressionist period. A noted painter, he was instrumental in defining the ideals of the New York School, along with Willem de Kooning, Barnett Newman, Ad Reinhardt, and Franz Kline, among others.

These enlightening and intimate writings—personal journals and letters, teaching notebooks, correspondence with other artists, previously unpublished essays, and published articles—are introduced and annotated by Mira Schor, who provides an informed account of an important artist and thinker. The book is enriched by photographs by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Irving Penn, Arnold Newman, and Robert Rauschenberg; family photographs with Hans Hofmann, John Cage, Kline, and others; and reproductions of some of Tworkov’s finest work.

The Extreme of the Middle: Writing of Jack Tworkov Edited by Mira Schor 464 pp. 46 b/w + 15 color illus. 6x9 paper 978-0-300-14102-3

Book Reviews:

Barry Schwabsky, The Nation "Tworkov, one of the original Abstract Expressionists whose mark on the history of painting is inexpugnable, accomplished a great deal in a long and rich life, not only as an artist but as a teacher and a mensch. And his writings are a considerable contribution to the art history of his time. Their subject is not so much aesthetics or form as the ethics of art."  READ MORE...

James Panero, The New Criterion “This 480-page volume brings together Tworkov's artist statements, published reviews, and correspondence, but most notably it unearths extensive selections from Tworkov's diaries. In their philosophical and artistic introspection, these rigorous notations may just be the New York School's answer to the journals of Delacroix."  READ MORE...

NEWSgrist"The Extreme of the Middle is a moving portrayal in [Tworkov's] own words of personal and artistic life of an original and deeply serious painter...it offers fascinating and beautifully written new perspective on post war American art..."  READ MORE...