Renowned as the “master of the macabre,” Chicago native Ivan Albright (1897–1983) is famous for richly detailed paintings of ghoulish subjects, including Into the World There Came a Soul Called Ida and Picture of Dorian Gray. This digital publication brings together fresh perspectives on the artist: Albright’s fascination with popular culture, his philosophy of ugliness, and insight into the process he undertook to achieve his unique painterly effects.

This digital publication is produced in conjunction with the exhibition Flesh: Ivan Albright at the Art Institute of Chicago, presented at the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) from May 4–August 5, 2018. It is edited by Sarah Kelly Oehler (Field-Mccormick Chair and Curator of American Art, AIC), with an introduction by Oehler and essays by Sarah Burns (Professor Emerita, Indiana University), Kelly Keegan (Paintings Conservator, AIC), and John P. Murphy (curator of Flesh).