Amazon.com

The vast landscape of New Mexico won the heart of American artist Georgia O'Keeffe on her first visit there in 1917, and the open sky, parched earth, and bleached white bones she found there soon became the prominent subjects of her paintings. She granted John Loengard, a photographer for Life magazine, the rare opportunity to photograph her in her home at Ghost Ranch in 1966. Fifty of the black-and-white photographs he took that day fill this 79-page, small-format hardcover and form a classic record of a day in the life of an eminent yet elusive artist. Quotes by O'Keeffe about New Mexico and brief biographies of the painter and Loengard add extra dimension to the images. --A.C. Smith ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent small version of the larger book!
Convenient size. You can take it with you when you travel to New Mexico and see the lands that inspired a truly remarkable woman. The black and white photographs and the simple design of the book would please Ms. Okeeffe, I feel. I have been to Ghost Ranch and it really is amazing to see some of the changes and similarities that the pictures present. The photographer John Loengard has produced a compelling insight into the private life of a very intriguing woman. ... Read more

Book Description

A charismatic stage and screen actress. A model whose beauty inspired some of the most arresting images of the twentieth century. A visionary photographer. A revolutionary with deep commitments to communism. A woman whose life, loves, and death were controversial. Tina Modotti (1896–1942) was all of these. Her life was one of almost unimaginable glamor, scandal, and turmoil. This biography portrays Modotti accurately and fairly, cutting through the distortions of myth and rumor that surround her. Perhaps best known as the lover, model, and apprentice of American photographer Edward Weston, Modotti emerges in these pages as a complex woman, deeply passionate in her relationships as well as her art and politics.

Historian Letizia Argenteri examines an array of international historical documents and letters as she traces the path of Modotti’s life and career through Italy, California, Mexico, Germany, Moscow, and Spain. Argenteri tells the dramatic story in full detail, casting light on the mysteries of Modotti’s life and carefully placing her in the political and social milieu of her time. The many fascinating illustrations in this book further illuminate Modotti’s life. ... Read more

Book Description

The catalogue of the three major European exhibitions in 2001/2 of the great American painter, Brice Marden, with text by the curator Mario Codognato. The 70 works were selected by the famously reclusive artist himself, and therefore provide a unique insight into his collected oeuvre.

A rare opportunity to view the great American artist Brice Marden’s works in Europe came last year to Rome and now moves to Turin and Munster. Until recently European connoisseurs of his paintings, etchings and prints have made pilgrimages across continents to be able to collate his work.

Some key to this elusive artist is derived from his studio high above the cosmopolitan frenzy of The Bowery in New York. It is a sanctuary of discipline, equanimity, equilibrium and control far removed from the city’s anarchy below. Yet he says of himself: "I am seeing my life as part of the struggle between man and nature… it is my inspiration. Any artist who takes the ‘art scene’ or short-sighted history as his inspiration is turning his back on his human self."

Marden’s personal philosophy is a dichotomy, and one which he discusses uneasily. It is also what makes him a key figure in the Minimalist art movement, with major exhibitions at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, and the Whitechapel Gallery in London.

Who is the real Brice Marden? Who is this great reclusive artist, like some rare and exotic bird so seldom seen? In Brice Marden, the catalogue of the exhibitions, the artist himself and curator Mario Codognato have collected together 70 of his most personal and illuminating works. ... Read more

Book Description

Japanese American artist Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) is renowned for his stone and bronze sculpture, his gardenlike installations in public spaces, and his furniture designs. Far less familiar, but no less important, is Noguchi's work in clay, which he executed in three intensive sessions in 1931, 1950, and 1952, all during visits to Japan. The pieces included in this elegant volume and the accompanying exhibition comprise the first major museum presentation of Isamu Noguchi's ceramics and the introduction of the work of major postwar Japanese ceramic artists with whom Noguchi collaborated or interacted. Supported by four linked essays and opulently illustrated in full color and black and white, Isamu Noguchi and Modern Japanese Ceramics highlights the sculptor's struggles with cultural identity and his experimentation with the conflicts between modernity and tradition.

Noguchi's sculptures in the medium of clay reveal informal, spontaneous, and humorous aspects not visible in less flexible media such as bronze or stone. Through clay, Noguchi probed unresolved personal issues surrounding his ambiguous cultural identity as the son of a Japanese father and American mother. Because Noguchi made his ceramics in Japan, his work also creates links to a diversity of approaches within the ceramic world of Japan. These range from traditionalists such as Kitaoji Rosanjin and the Living National Treasure designates, to primitivists exemplified by Okamoto Taro and Tsuji Shindo, to avant-garde experimentalists led by the Sodeisha group. An understanding of the nature and scope of the concerns Noguchi expressed through clay is crucial to understanding his work as a whole, and consideration of Japanese ceramic artists in the 1950s reveals a largely unknown genre of modern Japanese art.

Copublished with the Smithsonian Institution ... Read more

Reviews (1)

cosmic enlightenment
Noguchi is truley a master. The most complete catalog of this artists work in clay. As a ceramic sculpture student, this book has given me a world of new insight ang inspiration. Noguchi has been an influence for me for some time and it is wonderful to have such a wonderful resource. Louise Allison Cort has done a remarkable job and I look forward to future catalogs. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Thomas Moran hiked through the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone in 1871, when most folks back East thought that stories of hundred-foot-high geysers, thousand-foot-deep canyons, and such were probably hogwash. After he submitted his glorious paintings of cliffs, rapids, and sun-struck vistas, Americans were finally persuaded that the West was as real as it was wild.It is largely because of Moran's glowing, oil-painted testimony that a formerly skeptical U.S. Congress soon preserved those spectacular lands.This book is the catalog of the 1998 retrospective of Moran's work, which opened on the 125th anniversary of the dedication of Yellowstone National Park. Anderson's essays cover every phase of Moran's life and career, from his work as an illustrator and printmaker to his success as one of the gentleman painters of New York City. It contains scores of archival photographs of the rather theatrical Moran as he aged, with his ever-lengthening, ever-whitening chin whiskers, and such treasures as a long letter he wrote from Yellowstone to his beautiful wife, Mary, in which he blithely describes rattlesnakes, tarantulas, and wolves observed at close range. The letter is signed "Your loving Hub." Along with Albert Bierstadt, Frederick Church, John Frederick Kensett, and other 19th-century landscape painters, viewers often associate Moran with what he called "a wonderful age," the optimistic years between the Civil War and the Great War. This book contains plates of every quintessentially American scene he painted--the pulsing sunset over the pristine wilderness, the windswept mountain pass, the misty, rushing stream. A scholarly book, it nonetheless captures much of the wonder Moran and his peers felt for the vast Western landscape and the glowing future it represented. --Peggy Moorman ... Read more

Reviews (2)

An Amazing Book
My wife and I were looking for a Thomas Moran book with LOTS of reproductions of his pictures. This book appeared to be what we were looking for. I had Amazon find a copy for me and I gave it to my wife as a birthday present. It was perfect. Lots of reproductions. Lots of good information. Well-organized.

Moran is a favorite
This book is the next best thing to seeing a Moran in a Museum. I'm a landscape artist and love his work. The book took me out West where Moran painted and made me feel the experience. A fantastic experience! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great Lithographs
This book contains the prints of lithographs made by Miro' first produced in 1944, at the time of World War II. The illustrations are all black and white - some forms are quite whimsical, others reflect the influence of Picasso and surrealism. Though Miro's works usually contained bold colors, these works are all the more pwerful for the tonal values of black and white.
If you are interested in art, especially of the Surrealist Movement, this is a great place to start.

Miro
What can I say about Miro's art? I love it. Art is a purely subjective thing. I enjoy the subtle technigues you notice in his art when you look closely. Sitting back and absorbing the art allows all sorts of images to come to mind. Miro has some very lovely backgrounds for his work, using shades of color to add depth and a sense of realism to his work. Some of my favorites are "femme et chat" and "animal composition". ... Read more

Book Description

Alice Neel (1900-1984) was one of this century's most powerfully original portraitists. Her psychological vision as a painter of people has been described as both tender and unforgiving. This full-scale examination of her life and work accompanies a traveling retrospective organized by the Philadelphia Museum of Art that celebrates the centennial of her birth and is the first major exhibition of her work since 1974.

From deeply personal paintings of her own family and neighbors to arresting portraits of important New York art-world figures like Andy Warhol, Robert Smithson, and Frank O'Hara, the 75 paintings and watercolors presented in this book hover disconcertingly between intimacy and monumentality and have an unforgettable impact. This centennial salute will focus renewed attention on one of the preeminent American artists of the 20th century.

175 illustrations, 100 in full color, 8 1/2 x 12"

ANN TEMKIN is curator of 20th-century art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. SUSAN ROSENBERG is assistant curator of 20th-century art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

RICHARD FLOOD is chief curator at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis.

EXHIBITION SCHEDULE Whitney Museum of American Art, New YorkJune 29-Sept. 17, 2000 Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, MassachusettsOct. 6-Dec. 31, 2000 Philadelphia Museum of ArtFeb. 18-Apr. 15, 2001 Walker Art Center, MinneapolisJune 9-Sept. 2, 2001 ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Inspiring
Alice Neel has certainly inspired me to paint again. The book is wonderful and chronicles her personal story, along with paintings corresponding to those periods of her life and essays by those who knew her well. It's also a treat to get the insight of many of her famous sitters, including "Nancy". This book is also a catalogue of her work which accompanies her centennial exhibition touring the country. I can't wait to see her work up close and personal in 2001. This publication has wet my appetite to experience more and more of the artistry of Alic Neel.

This is a beautiful book!
I've examined this edition virtually plate by plate to the previous (1983- Patricia Hills) edition and I must say that I find the selections as well as the quality of the color printing to be far superior in this edition. Perhaps if one found a first edition of the Patricia Hills publication this would not be the case. But I far prefer this edition and can find no reason to criticize it, other than having a vested or political interest.

1983- (Patricia Hills)Alice Neel monograph MUCH better!
This new monograph has been released to coincide with the Whitney's retrospective. Both the long over due retrospective and the new monograph are lacking in quantity and depth needed in doing justice to this amazingly prolific and important artist. Abrams' previous Neel monograph had many more images and excerpts of important interviews with Neel throughout the book (provided by the forsight of Patricia Hills.) The new book, under the Whitney museums' auspice, includes interviews with some of the sitters. While these anecdotes are interesting it doesn't make up for the total superiority of the 1983 monograph (reprinted in 1995.) If you can find a used version of the previous monograph, you would be wise to aquire it. I also recommend Pamela Allara's "Pictures of People, Alice Neel's American Portrait Gallery" which puts Neel's work in a cultural context (from the depression through the feminist movement.) ... Read more

Book Description

The unspoken poetry of our nation revealed by an American master.

The first collection of the extensive and superlative work realized by Mary Ellen Mark in the United States, Mary Ellen Mark is composed of many previously unpublished images, as well as photographs from several of her best-known projects. From "Streetwise" to "The Damm Family," Mary Ellen Mark includes the most iconic images from these groundbreaking stories, as well as powerful, never-before-seen photographs Mark accomplished in subsequent years. She makes a deeply felt commitment to her subjects, and her empathy and humanity come through in every image.

Mark is unsurpassed at shaping not only the odd but the everyday into genuinely surprising visual icons. With an eye for symbolism and a gift for meticulous composition, she is drawn to a variety of spectacles and situations, and demonstrates a particular affinity for children. Her elegantly revealing imagery creates a fascinating portrait of our complex, amusing, and occasionally unsettling country.
... Read more

Reviews (5)

A good introduction to an amazing photographic eye
I read about the Phaidon 55S series in Popular Photography and thought I would check out the volume on Mary Ellen Mark. I have been drawn to her photographs for years and had recently seen an exhibition of her work in NYC. She has Walker Evan's gift for capturing moments in people's lives and she finds the life beyond the smile or grimace of the subject.Her subjects are lively and a bit wicked at times, but there is supreme truth in her photographs. This series gets its title from the fact that each book has 55 photos by the subject. The price is excellent for someone who wants to collect some great art for a low price. Great introduction to a talented artist....highly recommended.

Respecting the Humanity of All
Summary: These black-and-white images are produced on wonderful paper and with great quality. They explore the underlying human qualities we all share. The work is introduced by a Maya Angelou poem, and is concluded by an excellent essay in which Ms. Mark explains her work. Her subjects are mostly people of the economic and social underclasses as they pursue their hopes and dreams, while dealing with their day-to-day problems. Viewing these photographs will draw you closer to people who, on the surface, are quite different from you. The models are often captured over time and in alternative settings to help explain their lives and personalities.

Content Caution: The images in this book contain a few involving minor female nudity that would earn its contents an R rating if it were a motion picture.

Review:

"I note the obvious differences

in the human family."

" . . . but we are more alike, my friends,

than we are unalike." -- Maya Angelou

The theme of this poem nicely captures the focus of this book of loving photographic images. As Ms. Mark says, "I much prefer to photograph people I care about." She wants to "build a rapport with my subjects." In studying them, "I am guided by what moves and surprises me." That final element will affect you as well. Too often, we mentally pass by those around us. Ms. Mark's images make us want to reach out with our hearts and minds.

The book shows people from all parts of America over the period from 1963 through 1999. The photographs portray all kinds of races, creeds, colors, and political and sexual persuasions. Ideas that you may not like are portrayed involving people you will probably find appealing. That juxtaposition of people and issues will cause you to rethink how you relate to others. It will probably make you more modest and humble, and that's good. Special themes involve the mentally ill, twins, homelessness, beauty contests, political rallies, and families over time.

My favorite images in the book are as follows:

Santa Claus at Lunch, New York City, 1963;

Marky Mark concert, Jersey City, New Jersey, 1993;

Hot Tub, West Orange, New Jersey, 1999;

Bodybuilder, Daytona Beach, Florida, 1991;

Russell, Kansas, 1986;

Mary Frances in the tub, Ward 81, Salem, Oregon, 1976;

Jail, Houston, Texas, 1977;

Husband and wife, Harland County, Kentucky, 1971;

Jesse Damm, Llano, California, 1994;

Hurstie Laxton after the flood, St. Louis, Missouri, 1993;

Million Youth March, New York City, 1998;

Lakiesha, South Dallas, Texas, 1988;

Clinton Albright and his father, Santa Clarita, California, 1982;

Nightclub off of Highway 61, Michigan, 1991;

Vashira and Tashira Hargrove, twins, H.E.L.P. Shelter, Suffolk, New York, 1993; and

Tiny, pregnant, Seattle, Washington, 1985.

After you see these photographs, you will probably agree with Ms. Mark that she has been on "a long and blessed journey" that has opened her heart and ours.

Seeing these photographs should encourage you to become acquainted with people you see who you would normally not think to speak to. Try living that way for a day. If you enjoy the experience, keep on going -- taking it . . . one day at a time.

Find the common ground . . . wherever you go!

A Glimpse at the Soul
I was fortunate enough to see the exhibition of these photographs at the International Center of Photography a few days ago. If you can, go to see the show before it closes. If you can't, buy this book and get a glimpse at the power of a photograph.

Though no expert, I enjoy the art of photography. I am particularly interested in portraits of real people. Mary Ellen Mark has the ability to capture people with extra-ordinary depth and feeling. Almost without fail, her images are moving. With a skill beyond the normal artist, however, her images have the ability to be thought-provoking.

Consider a photo labelled "Aryan Nations, Hayden Lake, Idaho, 1986." Three pleasant-looking, smiling women--the cherubic face of the woman on the far right particularly draws the eye--set in counterpoint to their white supremacist garb. Or consider the series of photographs of Tiny who has clearly experienced many things in her life but who face, amazingly, holds the same soul in each image. Or consider the contrast between the photographs of Julie d'Aquili and Cynthia Galves despite their similar poses. Julie is a healthy young woman but her somber expression stands out starkly against the cancer-ridden Cynthia who still manages a smile.

I believe that I could write something about every single photograph in this collection. Let me instead just say that these photographs will grip you and hold your attention for hours. You will come back to them again and again. And, unlike reproductions of paintings in a book, photographs do not suffer from the process nearly as much. I would encourage anyone with an interest in photography to take a look at this book.

fat acceptance
One image is worth the price: four women, floating in a swimming pool, arms and legs linked, at the national Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, Big and Beautiful New Year's Eve Party, Long Island, New York, 1996.

(Great book for Hasselblad nerds; it will give you a lot of ideas for how to fill a square frame creatively.)

Stunning.
This book contains some unforgettable photographs. However,in my mind, one stands out above all the others. Jesse Damm; a white boy about ten years old is depicted in profile wearing a torn sweat shirt. His head is shaved and not even his eyebrows are visible. His face has several small scabs or perhaps it is dirt and he does not look well. In deed what he looks like is something out of a horror film. What is so remarkable about this shot is that it fills me with the strongest urge to gather the child up into my arms and take care of him. Remarkable because I've never wanted anything to do with poor or sick people and untill now the only children capable of stirring my emotions have been the attractive ones. This photo made me wonder if perhaps I've discovered something new in myself. ... Read more

Book Description

The first exploration of the art that Georgia O'Keeffe retained for her personal collection, including works that have never been publicly exhibited. Georgia O'Keeffe was one of America's preeminent artists and one of the first to experiment with abstract form, though she never abandoned her deep response to and observation of nature. An enormously popular artist, she became identified and respected as an independent American spirit through both her art and her life. At the time of her death in 1986, Georgia O'Keeffe owned more than half of the approximately 2,000 works she had produced during the eighty years she was active as an artist: some 400 works in oil, charcoal, pastel, pencil, and watercolor, as well as more than 700 sketches. For various reasons, she had always kept a portion of her art out of the public eye and these works were not published, exhibited, or available for purchase during her lifetime. Among the works that had been exhibited and sold over the years, some were repurchased by O'Keeffe as they became available. This book explores for the first time the significance of O'Keeffe's collection of her own work. Approximately 75 seminal works, dating from about 1910 through the 1960s and reproduced in full color, document the range and quality of the art that O'Keeffe either chose to retain in her estate or consciously distributed to institutions in her lifetime and as bequests. It reveals her thinking in relation to her oeuvre, providing a unique perspective from which to understand O'Keeffe as artist and collector. The book accompanies an exhibition organized by the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, the principal recipients to date of art from the O'Keeffe estate. The exhibition coincides with the opening of the Milwaukee Art Museum's major addition designed by noted Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. 110 color and 20 b/w illustrations. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Seventy-five seminal works reproduced in full color
Georgia O'Keeffe died in 1986 owning more than half the approximately two thousand works she had produced during the eighty years she was active as an artist. Four hundred of those works were oils, charcoals, pastels, pencils, and watercolors. Additionally there were more than seven hundred sketches in her personal collection. O'Keeffe's O'Keeffes: The Artist's Collection explores and showcases the significance of Georgia O'Keeffe's collection of her own work and comprises seventy-five seminal works reproduced in full color and dating from around 1910 down through the 1960s. Unique, impressive, O'Keeffe's O'Keeffes is an essential volume for students of American art history in general, and the life and work of Georgia O'Keeffe in particular. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Vision of Passion
As a famous photographer once stated, photography is aligning the mind, the heart and sight. Scrolling through Modotti's photographs, one feels that she goes beyond by reflecting her passion in her work. This book is an invaluable source portraying Mexican communist art with a flavour of Tina's very special passion. ... Read more

Product Description

From the Publisher The art of American painter Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) is resplendid with color and laden with hidden sensuality. O'Keeffe's reputation rests mainly on the large-format flower pictures that have assured her an unusual place in the annals of art, between realism and abstraction. This book traces OKeeffe's idiosyncratic career, and numerous illustrations document the most important periods in her lengthy life in art. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

marvelous prints, absorbing essays
If you enjoy the works of Georgia O'Keeffe, this is a book you'll want to savor. The reproductions of her paintings are marvelously printed, and the accompanying essays of O'Keeffe's life and work are erudite and lucid.

There are also pictures of O'Keeffe at various stages of her life and career, ranging from her time as a young student at the University of Virginia, into her weathered, mature age, the last one featuring her at 90 at Ghost Ranch in the desert.

You may want to scan many of the pictures, as I did, for use as computer desktops and ornamental additions to emails. Kudoes to Britta Benke for this must-have book for those who appreciate Georgia O'Keeffe! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Lined journal
I liked this journal because it was lined. The lined pages are good for those of us who can't write in a straight line when we're angry, excited, or upset.

Perfect Journal!
This journal was perfect. Spiral bound is really nice when looking for a journal, then you can easily flip the pages. It's lined, which is great! And the paper is pretty thick, pens won't bleed through to the other side! I highly recommend this journal! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Nicely written but not exactly what I wanted
This book is a nice overview of the work and life of Matisse. There are many beautiful and brilliantly described colorplates. It is a complete overview of his work. It also makes a beautiful coffee table piece that may inspire conversation.

I reasoned that because the author choose to feature a later piece by Matisse on the cover the book might emphasize his later work. But when I got the book his later work was only briefly talked about and only 2 of the colorplates were after 1940s.

Overall it is a nice book to get a sense of Matisse, his work and his life. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Superb photographic portrature
Mary Ellen Mark is an outstanding photographer. This is among her best work. Her superb technique complements her incisive portraiture. She has studied the circuses of India carefully and captured something of the soul of her subjects. Many of the performers that she photographs are young, and for all intents and purposes are indentured servants. Their lives are filled with pathos, but also with immense pride in what they do. It is impossible not to be moved by this wonderful book. I recommend it highly. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Murillo's gentle depictions of street life in his native Seville gainedinternational popularity before his death in 1682, though since Ruskin accusedhim of sentimentality, art critics have been harsh. Murillo: Scenes ofChildhood, a collaboration between the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London,and the Alte Pinakothek of Munich, attempts a critical reassessment of theartist. Twenty-three of his paintings of children, together with works byVelazquez, Ribera, and Villavicencio, are presented and discussed. The authorsanalyze Murillo's sophisticated brushwork and subtle use of composition andcolor to portray his charming subjects: mischievous young boys throwing dice oreating bread, girls selling flowers and fruit and possibly, themselves.Well-researched descriptions interpret each painting's moral message and explainit in terms of its own time--delousing a child's head, for example, had positiveconnotations, as lice were thought to avoid sickly children. Separate essaysexplore the religious and social context of Murillo's work and its continuedpopularity--Manet, Cezanne, and Picasso all copied his paintings, and the essaysend by comparing his portraits of urchins with works by respected modernphotographers, including the highly unsentimental Salgado. Human warmth andoptimism shine from these paintings. They appear to reflect Murillo's genuineempathy and generosity: although he was the most highly paid painter in Seville,his acts of charity left him poor. Murillo: Scenes of Childhoodreestablishes the artist's integrity as a brilliant draftsman and acute observerof children. --John Stevenson ... Read more

Reviews (1)

FITTING TRIBUTE TO A GREAT ARTIST
Long recognized as one of Spain's preeminent painters, Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1617 - 1682) worked for the most part in his native Seville, where he began his career as a painter of religious subjects. His earliest works were a series depicting the lives of Franciscan saints for Seville's Franciscan monastery.

In later life he opened a painting academy in his native city, and served as the academy's first president. He is also known for his touching scenes of beggar children, adroitly capturing their facial expressions and tattered garments in somber hues, many of which are featured in "Murillo: Scenes Of Childhood," a thoughtfully compiled tribute to the great Spanish artist.

Of special interest is the painting belonging to the Louvre in which Murillo first revealed the face of a street child, and the unforgettable painting known as "Four Figures On A Step," which captures three apparent beggars and a matron carefully cradling the head of a wounded urchin in her lap. The gazes from these faces remains an indelible impression for all who view this scene. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

You should collect them all.
One of a series from Dover that includes Cassatt, Dali, Degas, Gauguin, Homer, Kahlo...you get the idea. Ridiculously inexpensive, you should collect them all. Once you have them, you'll resist ripping them out of the cute little booklet & mailing them. Maybe, like me, you'll keep them in a drawer by your computer as handy fine art stress relievers.

Bob Rixon ... Read more

Book Description

Mucha's Byzantine beauties graced walls throughout Paris in thelate 1890s.These romantic female figures were incredibly popular andforever changed the movement of art nouveau. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

An American Collection
This is a VERY small book, smaller than a cd case. The illustrations are great and it gives a very general overview of Mucha's life. I purchased this book as a reference for a report on Mucha for a college level class and it was definitely not very useful for that purpose.The author does not cite any resources for the information in the book and other than looking good on the bookshelf it was not worth the price.

Part of a Really Useful Series
I run enrichment programs for school age children and this book along with the other books in the Vignette series from the Collector's Press have been terrific in introducing kids to great artists. This book does a great job of chronicling Mucha's life and career. I highly recommend it as an introduction to Art Nouveau and Alphonse Mucha.

Useful Reference Book
I found this book to be a great addition to my library of art nouveau reference books. It is small and concise. The author obviously loves his subject matter. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in an overview of Mucha's work in a quick read.

Save your money ...
Don't even bother. There is a magnificent book published by Art Services Inc. in association with Yale University which, after years of searching, is the definitive book on Alphonse Mucha. "Alphonse Mucha: The Spirit of Art Nouveau", 1998, by Victor Arwas,Jana Brabcova- Orlikova and Anna Dvorak. Costs more $$, but you're really getting something! Exquisite! Text and great color pieces. A treasure. ... Read more

Book Description