Black Magick: The Art of Chet Zar (2012) is a visceral journey into the macabre imagination of Chet Zar, the visionary artist whose transition from Hollywood special effects (Hellboy, The Ring) to gallery exhibitions birthed a singular aesthetic of biomechanical horror and existential dread.
This lavish Design Studio Press monograph collects Zar’s most haunting oil paintings and sculptures—twisted figures with weeping eyes, pulsating tumors, and clockwork flesh—blending H.R. Giger’s surreal precision with Zdzisław Beksiński’s dystopian decay. The oversize hardcover, introduced by Clive Barker, features 100+ full-color plates, studio photographs, and Zar’s reflections on his evolution from prosthetic makeup artist to painter of the subconscious grotesque. A cult artifact for devotees of dark fantasy, this volume distills Zar’s philosophy: “My art is about the beauty of the things we fear.”
