Carl Andre (born 1935), the American minimalist artist, is perhaps best known for his grid-based floor sculptures but also for large, outdoor public artworks and small sculptures, poetry and installations. In this unprecedented comprehensive monograph Alistair Rider here shows that it is the materials that he uses to make his works that inspire him—from his controversial bricks to all sorts of metals, found wood, even hay bales, Andre is fascinated by what materials make up the world and presents them for contemplation.

Andre's first public exhibition of work was in 1965, in the 'Shape and Structure' show curated by Henry Geldzahler at the Tibor de Nagy Gallery, and in 1966 his controversial Lever was included in the important exhibition at the Jewish Museum in New York, Primary Structures. In 1970 he had a solo exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and has had one man exhibitions and participated in group shows in major museums and galleries throughout the USA and Europe. His work features in many important collections, including the UK's Tate, which bought Equivalent VIII in 1972 and a few years later was the inspiration for much public controversy over the nature of contemporary art. He is represented by the Paula Cooper Gallery in New York, by Sadie Coles HQ in London, and Yvon Lambert Gallery in Paris, and lives and works in New York.