A publication to celebrate the monumental frieze created by William Kentridge on the banks of the river Tiber. Triumphs and Laments is not only a celebration of William Kentridge's monumental frieze drawn along the banks of the River Tiber in Rome and the performance which inaugurated it, but a guide to one of his most memorable and ambitious projects. Designed with the early Baedekers in mind, this bilingual book acts as an essential component to viewing Kentridge's erased-graffiti figures and understanding the process of their creation, with useful foldouts, a poster, and a leporello of the frieze to accompany the texts. These include a conversation between Carlos Basualdo and the artist, and two essays by Salvatore Settis and Gabriele Guercio that explore the meaning behind the work and its resonance with the millennia-long history of the city of Rome.

Author Biography

Carlos Basualdo is the Keith L. and Katherine Sachs Curator of Contemporary Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. William Kentridge is a world-renowned South African artist.