Jenny Holzer figured high on the list while thinking about War of Words. I confess that I often utter the words “Abuse of Power Comes as No Surprise” (most often while watching/ reading the news—but perfect for so many occasions).

While we didn’t get Holzer’s work for the exhibition, we did obtain a copy of Redaction Paintings, a beautiful book/catalog published by Cheim & Read (and thank you to Howard and Katia Read of Cheim & Read for their donation of this book).

When you stop by the gallery (and reading room), please be sure to check it out. The paintings are enlarged facsimiles of redacted FBI files dealing with some of the most heinous events of our times (water boarding, the World Trade Center and so on). It’s a potent mix: horrible social fact with beautiful cultural artifact.

More: read an interview with Jenny Holzer where she discusses making these works. And see more works at Cheim & Read.