Reviews

A. G. Rizzoli: Architect of Magnificent Visions by Jo Farb Hernandez, Roger Cardinal, John Beardsley

benedorm's review

5.0

This book is an excellent one, with three fascinating essays, and well-executed, crisp color reproductions of some of Rizzoli's most intriguing works. The pieces themselves are bizarre but compelling, showing his family, coworkers, and neighborhood children portrayed as buildings, or consisting of elaborate designs for a sort of heavenly World's Fair. The poetry and prose contained in the works is pretty uniformly terrible -- where the writing of someone like Henry Darger is crude but compelling, like listening to Jandek, or the Shaggs, or Half Japanese, Rizzoli's is more like your cousin's crappy bar band -- but it's interesting to see how he insists on working it into the art. I'd recommend this to anyone with an interest in outsider or visionary art, if you can find a copy.

thatgothbookbrat's review

4.0

This is an absolutely beautiful book that details the life and works of the architectural artist A.G. Rizzoli. With clear and well-written chapters, excellent presentation and many beautiful images of his stunning works, this book is a must for any Rizzoli fan.