Charles Krafft's Villa Delirium

Book excerpt: Charles Krafft's one-of-a-kind artwork moves in provocative directions, combining the highbrow with the gruesome in such works as his Disasterware (Delft-style painted plates featuring catastrophes) and Sponeware ("the human bone china"). Krafft's work has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, Artforum, and Juxtapoz. With 60 color photographs, the full range of his plates, paintings, and other creations is sampled in this book, which also includes biographical information on this remarkable self-taught painter. The Art of Charles Krafft documents Krafft's major shows and productions.