Covering 30 years of sculptures, paintings, works on paper, large-scale wall drawings, installations, and site-specific works, this catalogue presents the art of Gary Simmons (b. 1964, New York, NY; lives in Los Angeles, CA), one of the most respected artists of his generation. Since the late 1980s, Simmons has played a key role in situating questions of race, class, and gender identity within art discourse. He is notable for his early application of appropriated pop-cultural imagery to expose and analyze histories of racism inscribed in US visual culture. Over the course of his career, Simmons has revealed traces of these histories in the fields of sports, cinema, literature, music, architecture, and urbanism, while drawing on popular genres such as hip-hop, horror, and science fiction. His approach is cool and unflinching in its interrogation of historical narratives, yet the results consistently deliver a strong emotional charge.

This publication offers readers the opportunity to gain a holistic understanding of the complex, profoundly moving work of this influential artist. Featuring in-depth, incisive analyses from writers René Morales, Jadine Collingwood, Nick Mirzoeff, Seph Rodney, Franklin Sirmans, and Jack Schneider, the catalogue also includes interviews between the artist, curator, and writer Thelma Golden, and fellow artist Arthur Jafa. Complete with rich illustrations—some never before printed—the comprehensive survey traverses diverse fields of scholarship while revealing the hidden layers underneath both his body of work and the broader culture his work is speaking to.

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Gary Simmons: Public Enemy was presented at the MCA from June 13 through October 1, 2023. The exhibition was curated by René Morales, former James W. Alsdorf Chief Curator, and Jadine Collingwood, Assistant Curator, with Jack Schneider, Curatorial Associate.