At ninety-two, “LIFE” is no longer an abstraction for Samuel Bak, but instead poignantly and summarily addresses the memories of decades of events, challenges, choices, and outcomes too numerous to catalogue and too random to ascribe predictable control. After years of transposing objects into ideas, Bak uses his mastery of this technique to reexamine the arc of a lifetime, layering over it a retrospective survey of the visual icons he has developed throughout his artistic career. Those objects, with their resonant symbolism and purposeful integration with the word “LIFE,” posit a duality for interpretation: life as it exists today versus life as it has defined the history of humankind.

In his incisive essay, Dr. Carl M. Herbert explores the many objects and settings of Bak’s work, sharing a lifetime of study of Bak’s rich visual lexicon of symbols, metaphors, and erudite references to provide context for the viewer. He encourages the viewer to bring personal experience to the process of understanding, opening our potential to see the world around us with new eyes.

• A limited number of books are signed by Samuel Bak

• 140 pages with 121 illustrations

• $50 + $10 domestic shipping

• Published in 2026 by Pucker Art Publications, Boston, MA

• Distributed by Syracuse University Press

• ISBN: 978-1-879985-49-0