Amazon.com

Georgia O'Keeffe's unconventional paintings of mountains, bones, and flowers--often on a giant scale--and her clear, simple forms and colors made her an early pioneer of a new American modernism. The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum opened in summer 1997 in Santa Fe, presenting works from all periods of the artist's long career. Providing a remarkable virtual tour through the museum, this beautiful clothbound volume with French folded jacket features essays by leading art writers such as Barbara Rose and Mark Stevens, and a new, thorough chronology by Charles Eldredge. Included in the 86 full-color images and 4 lavish gatefolds are many works that have never been reproduced before, which are complemented throughout by black-and-white photographs documenting the extraordinary life of this courageous, inventive artist (1887-1986). For O'Keeffe fans unable to travel to Santa Fe for a personal pilgrimage, this book is the next best thing. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Beautiful Book
A nice representation of her works as well as information about her life and times. Reproductions of her paintings and the amount of those works included in the book, make this a great value for your money.

A wonderful book!
I really liked this. Lots of color reproductions of O'Keeffe's paintings, including several "fold-out" double pages. Covers her early mid and late periods. This is also a book about the museum devoted to her in New Mexico, The size of the book is nice too. A bit smaller than "coffee-table" huge dimension. A book you can browse through. Can be an introduction to Georgia O'Keeffe's art and life for somebody just learning about her, or can be extra fun for a real O'Keeffe fan. ... Read more

Book Description

The works in the National Gallery, London, includes masterpieces of Renaissance art, the largest collection of Velasquez outside of Spain, early Flemish paintings, Florentine and Sienese paintings at its height, and works by the greatest French painters. Added to this extraordinary heritage are masterpieces of French Impressionism and the British school. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Another feather in Bulfinch's cap
Without question, a must-have for any serious art lover. The quality of the text and illustrations are first-rate as is expected from the arguably finest art book publisher of our time. As essential to any library as "Paintings in the Vatican" and "Paintings in the Uffizi and Pitti." Keep them coming, Bulfinch! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Hollywood, gas stations, and the airbrushed style of commercial graphics figure predominantly in Ed Ruscha's art. One of the first artists to use text and pop imagery in his paintings, he captured the America of Route 66 and the Sunset Strip. Not tied down to painting, he produced books of photographs that catalog life with a dry, deadpan humor, including Thirtyfour Parking Lots, Nine Swimming Pools, and Some Los Angeles Apartments. Ruscha began his artistic endeavors with plans to become a commercial artist. With his 1956 arrival in Los Angeles and its art community, he was fast on his way to becoming a major creative force with a uniquely American perspective.

The publication of Ed Ruscha coincides with the first traveling retrospective of Ruscha's work in nearly 20 years. Launched at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., the show covers his illustrious career from the 1960s through the present. If you can't make it to any of the show's other stops--Chicago, Fort Worth, Miami, or Oxford, England--then this book is a must-have. Included are three essays that elaborate on Ruscha's paintings, use of language, and photography in the context of art history by drawing parallels to earlier American painters and the history of documentary photography. Ruscha defies categorization by straddling both pop and conceptual art with his funny, elegant, and thoughtful work. --J.P. Cohen ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Ed Ruscha reviewed by the only correct source
My friend is named Dan and he really likes this book. He first showed it to me outside during recess. We are both only 13 . If I had to chose over either this Ed Ruscha book or a Sega dream cast, playstation 2, alot of chocolate, a gun that looked real but wasn't, but felt real cause it was so heavy, I would choose the gun, probably because I couldn't get a gun now( I am not 21) and because none of my friends have ever seen a gun, it would be cool. But I still would like to flip through this book, but I don't know if I'd buy it, especially with my own money.

RUSCHA IS THE BOMB
YO, IF YOU THINK THAT RUSCHA IS THE BOMB DIGGY, LET ME TELL YOU THAT, YOU ARE CORRECT. THIS BOOK IS THE ILL SPOT ON THE HOT ART MAN. WHAT YOU WANT IS IN THIS BOOK. This book contains detailed critizism and history of Ruscha. In addition, the book pocesses all of Ruscha's most famous paintings. The book is an all around fine package.

an amusing family that will make you cringe
The first time i browsed through this book, i thought Richards family are totally mad.Some of the photos made me feel sick especially the one where Richards mum and dad have spilt gravy down thier tops. I've never seen anything like it in my life. The visions where shocking but i was very hooked by the images, even though they made me cringe. I was interested by all clutter of ornaments and art deco chaotically arranged around the house. Also the kind of food brands they have which are very cheap such as nettos no frills, i found it very interesting to see how a poorer class family lives. Some of the picturs are really disgusting, i mean what is Ray actually doing sitting by the toilet,this book is totally mad so if you have n't seen it yet then you relly should. This is a book not to be missed!

Brilliant
Thought this book was the best I've seen for years. It's refreshing and I love it that he's not one of those patronising usual 90s artists who want to cash in on roughing it. This is real life. I loved his parents and his home. They are real and his photographs are amazing. Liked the mum and puzzle pic, the pic where she's feeding a kitten. REally great. Because they are honest. Make you laugh, make you cry kind of pics.

Smashingly confrontational with humorous grit!
At first I was aghast at this visually unappealing book; it's so raw. Then I took a closer look and realized that it's a courageous, confrontational and visually incredible slice of real life. No Hallmark card whimsy here! I enjoyed Ray's A Laugh because it isn't another glossy coffee table book with which to impress guests, but an often-times unpleasant look at a "real" family. I'm sure many Brits will be offended by this book, which makes it even better knowing that the underbelly of British society is exposed in these gritty and often-repulsive photos. If you want to stimulate conversation, leave this book out and watch the horror on people's faces as they skim the kitchen photographs; you'll never look and canned beans the same way. Not only is Ray a Laugh, but this book is one sick chuckle through & through. Kudos to the publisher who had the spirit and sense of ugliness to have these photographs made public! I plan to give this book as a gift to my friends who can appreciate a "velvet Elvis" or anything off center! ... Read more

Book Description

This collection of classical carpets comprises carpets from every Near Eastern and Oriental country.
... Read more

Amazon.com

M.C. Escher, the artist who lived from 1898 to 1972, suffers from horrible overexposure. Who hasn't seen the college dorm room posters, postcards, T-shirts, and coffee mugs of such well-worn images as a hand drawing another hand or gothic buildings with never-ending staircases? The mass reproduction of these images has carved a firm place in our popular culture, yet made the work dismissible as modern art. Beyond the familiar images, though, is an immense body of work. The Magic of M.C. Escher covers in depth the graphic illustrations, woodcuts, and lithographs of Escher's career. The artist has always attracted the attention of scientists, mathematicians, and teenage boys everywhere; the popular 1980s game Dungeons & Dragons seems to borrow heavily from the systematic yet mystical quality of his drawing style. With his amazingly repetitive graphic illustration and unflinchingly control of size, shape, and shading, Escher draws like a human computer. One can only wonder what he might have done with today's graphic tools.

The book itself is creatively put together, with foldouts, seemingly endless images, and a loving introduction by the director of the Gemeentemuseum in the Hague. The minimal text selections that appear throughout are quotes from Escher himself, many taken from letters to family members. These personal musings give candid insight into what he thought about his peers, his career, and his work: "I really do feel these days like a kind of 'specialist,' and I don't want to 'depend' on my specialty alone, but I also feel it to be my duty to devote myself to that as much as possible." This remarkable book is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the astounding work of the man who could create two-dimensional origami with a pencil. --J.P. Cohen ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Magic of M.C. Escher
Wonderful coffee-table book of Escher's best drawing illusions. Even the jackets is two-sided and imaginatively done with style.

M-escher-merizing!
Given as a gift by a special friend of mine, the book has always adorned the coffee table in the living room as a centerpiece that never fails to attract the attention of both art lovers and art dabblers alike. Perhaps it could be said that my interest in the two seemingly disparate field of mathematics and art motivated that friend of mine to purchase the book, as Escher himself apparently believed and proved that those two seemingly unrelated fields could be beautifully synthesized in a brilliant fusion of creativity. The result is more than convincing.

Outstanding!
Escher was a Dutch wanna-be mathematician, who expressed himself through incredibly intricate, creative works of art. This book contains hundreds of his drawing as well as his notebook sketches, which is interesting to look at because you get to see how he developed his drawings. Accompanying most of the pictures in this book are excerpts of letters that he wrote to various people. If you want a book on Escher's work, then this is the one to buy! Fantastic.

Stunning
High-quality reproductions of the amazing artworks. Minimalistic style of comments and excerpts from artist's letters gives you a focus on subtle details and motives, and lets images tell you the rest.

A Must Have!!!
For all M. C. Escher fans out there, this is truly a must have. No other book describes the techniques of an artist better than this one, and the commentaries by Escher himself make it even better. A must have!!! ... Read more

Book Description

In 1995, the resolutely reclusive Ray Johnson reemerged into the spotlight when he died in a mysterious and spectacular way, leading to the discovery of thousands of works of art in his house. Drawing upon this vast trove, Donna De Salvo, the Wexner Center's Curator at Large, has organized Ray Johnson: Correspondences, the first comprehensive exhibition to be mounted (with the complete cooperation of the artist's estate).

Like Rauschenberg, Cy Twombly, Jasper Johns, and later Andy Warhol and Jim Rosenquist, Johnson combined the signs and symbols of contemporary culture with the lessons of abstraction to develop a new lexicon of forms. A pioneer in the use of 'found' images and techniques of mechanical reproduction, Johnson created in 1955 what may have been the first informal happening.

Johnson first created 'mail art' in the fifties. These were part collage, part manifesto, part parody; he often instructed recipients to 'add to', 'return to', or 'send to', spawning an interactive art form, a continuous happening, that pre-figured electronic mail. Johnson was the nerve center of this pre-digital netscape that spread around the nation and, eventually, the world, which continues to flourish today.

By the eighties, Johnson was a legend in the artistic community. Ray Johnson: correspondences, offers the first opportunity for in-depth examination of the work of an artist who reflected and dissected many of the aesthetic, cultural, and theoretical preoccupations of the last forty years; a figure whose impact and influence will finally be made known. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The long overdue Ray Johnson catalog
Part master craftsman, part zen-master. Part philosopher, part clown. This book deserves five stars because of its subject: Ray Johnson. Finally the world is treated to a decent monograph about this very important American artist and that is reason enough to run out and buy it while it's still on the shelves. Who knows how long it will stay in print. Every few years Johnson rises and falls from the public eye, always flittering in the collective unconscious of the world's cognoscenti. One either loves him or hasn't heard of him, but this screed underlines his importance once again. Better grab a copy while you can.

How important is Ray Johnson? He was one of the one of the first Pop artists. Perhaps the VERY first. He was one of the first Happenings/performance artists. Perhaps the VERY first. (He called them Nothings.) It is certainly obvious from the pictures in this book that Johnson was an important link if not THE MOST important link between Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art. But like Al Gore, Johnson's greatest contribution may be that he invented the Internet. Johnson really did it though-analogue style, with the help of the US postal system--stuffing paper fragments and found objects into envelopes, creating a non-linear, international communications system in the 1950s, a good five decades before anyone heard of the World Wide Web.

But not many have heard of Ray Johnson either. So what makes a book on him a must-read, must-see, must-own for anyone- not just those interested in art? Because this book is a journey into Johnson's unique world that will turn your own upside down. His intricate, witty, masterful work, printed here gorgeously in eye-popping color by Flammarion, the publishers, who deserve credit for their outstanding craftsmanship, will rise off the glossy pages and beckon you, the unsuspecting reader, to learn more. Johnson's art- both his collages and his mail art- can sometimes look out-of-control and over-the-top but a closer look reveals the steady craftsmanship and solid foundation that provides its strength and reveals, instead, that Johnson wasn't over-the-top but rather on-the-cutting-edge and remained there throughout his life. And what appears out-of -control is really one-of-a-kind thinking that gives the phrase "outside-the box" a whole new meaning. What I'm stressing here is that the printing job does it justice. Johnson was fully alive and so are the documents pictured in this book. Hang out with this book and you'll never see the world in quite the same way again.

I do beg to differ with the selection and sizing of the images... some that are reproduced large could have been small and vice versa. But Flammarion's obvious attention to detail in the printing process reproduces Johnson's delicate use of line and color admirably. I'm sure it was no easy task to translate the subtleties of his work to the book format. And an added bonus is the typography. The chapter headings are mechanically (if not digitally) reproduced doppelgangers of Johnson's calculating yet childlike lettering strategies.

Thus I recommend this book because it is the first major work on Johnson and while it won't be the last, it's a good start. So beat the rush. Get in while you can. The man was a genius. Another reason to buy the book is Johnson's priceless interview with Henry Martin in which many nuances of Johnson's quirky, clever modus operandi come through. So the late Ray Johnson himself has made this book something you've got to see. The rest isn't exactly fluff-- there are essays here by some very knowledgable people-- but if you buy this tome for the interview and the pictures, the rest is guaranteed to be delicious icing on the cake.

Is it perfect? No. Curator Donna De Salvo gets several things wrong in her introductory bio. For instance, she mentions in passing that Ray and Andy Warhol knew each other because of their graphic design work. Hello? They were good friends in the early 60's- before Andy hit it big and Johnson made his correspondence "school" official. Their relationship was important to the development and careers of both men. Andy became Andy and Ray became "the most famous unknown artist in the world." A glaring error, one of many, but at least DeSalvo had the sense to spend a few years of her life putting this project together. This book draws on much of the material that was in her show at the Whitney Museum but it is largely supplemented with work from Johnson's estate.

The artist presumably suicided in 1995 after jumping off a bridge near the east end of Long Island, New York. Johnson's mysterious death is not addressed much here and that is both a disappointment and a missed opportunity but the images in the book do bring to the fore many interesting "correspondences" with that event that make it indispensable reading for anyone who wants to explore that angle.

Archivist Muffet Jones has cobbled together a chronology that is a wonderful factual starting point, a notable gift to all future art and pop culture historians that will no doubt be added to and tweaked for years to come. Johnson's principal collector, William S. Wilson, contributes a valuable deconstruction of a rare Johnson manuscript, shedding light on the artist's arcane thought processes. Lucy Lippard finally chirps in with a follow-up to the single sentence she wrote about Johnson in her "Six Years" book on conceptual art over 30 years ago. She seems to have finally come to understand what is so important about Johnson and how his position in art history needs to be re-jiggered. (Johnson was doing conceptual art from the very beginning while always remaining delightfully unclassifiable.) Sharla Sava's essay on Johnson's 1970 mail art show at the Whitney Musueum in New York similarly begs the question "why have most people NOT heard of Ray Johnson?" She makes new connections and smart observations that provide fresh clarity.

This book is sure to change Johnson's status. There are several other essays and each does its best to illuminate the scintillating yet murky world of Ray Johnson, packed to the gills with synchronicity, serendipity and and good pop fun. Be the first on your block to buy it. Then, to be like Johnson, you could cut it up mail it to your friends. ... Read more

Book Description

This highly anticipated catalogue of sixteenth-century paintings from the distinguished collection of the National Gallery in London encompasses artists who were active in Bergamo, Brescia, and Cremona, cities characterized as much by the artistic interaction between them as by the influence of Venice. The artists include such well-known names as Lorenzo Lotto, Moretto, and Moroni, along with less familiar ones such as Bartolomeo Veneto and Callisto Piazza.
For each of the paintings, distinguished scholar and curator Nicholas Penny provides information about technique and materials, conservation and condition, and subject and iconography. An account of the painting’s original patronage is followed by a discussion of changing tastes, interpretation, and how the picture was esteemed (or neglected) over the centuries. One third of the paintings catalogued here are portraits, and entries include fascinating sections on contemporary dress, furnishings, and accessories. An appendix provides an illuminating account of some of the great collectors and collections of the past.
... Read more

Book Description

Carnaval, Fasnacht, Entroido, Carnival--the annual pre-Lenten festival most people in the United States know as Mardi Gras is celebrated in cities and rural villages throughout Europe and the Americas. With more than 300 dazzling photographs, this book offers an international look at Carnival in New Orleans and Basile, Louisiana; Laza, Spain; rural Bulgaria; Venice, Italy; Basel, Switzerland; Tlaxcala, Mexico; Oruro, Bolivia; Recife and Olinda, Brazil; Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; and Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Carnival takes similar shapes everywhere European Catholics carried their religion and its festivals. People disguise or adorn themselves in costumes and masks to parade through the streets, eating, drinking, and making music before the Lenten fast begins on Ash Wednesday. But as this book shows, indigenous customs with even deeper roots--and, in many places, customs that accompanied enslaved Africans in their diaspora--became integrated into the festival to give it distinctive local flavors.

In the four rural sites (Laza, southeastern Bulgaria, Basile, and Tlaxcala) many festival rituals are meant to promote the fertility of crops, livestock, and people. In the urban Carnivals of Oruro, Recife and Olinda, Port of Spain, Port-au-Prince, and New Orleans, Carnival groups compete through ingenious masquerades and spectacular performances. Venice’s Carnival--a late-twentieth-century revival--is modeled on elite urban celebrations of the Renaissance, and Basel’s--one of very few Carnivals to survive among European Protestants after the Reformation--involves large, organized troupes who wear masquerades portraying themes of social and political satire. In Haiti, Mardi Gras celebrations are deeply politicized and have even played a role in overturning governments.

The contributors to this book take readers on a colorful journey through Carnival in these eleven far-flung places, outlining the history of Carnival in each area and its present form. The major masquerades are introduced--from Venice’s classic Harlequin and Pierrot to Bulgaria’s "Kouker" and Port of Spain’s "Midnight Robber"--along with the kinds of groups who participate, such as Recife and Olinda’s African "nations" and Tlaxcala’s charro dancers. The sequence of Carnival events in each location is described, from excited preparation to last-gasp revelry, with tastes of festival food and drink and the rhythm of music along the way.

Whatever deeper religious or civic significance Carnival may hold for its participants, it is always a time of play, conviviality, and fantasy--a time when alternatives to the status quo can be imagined and people can feel unleashed from everyday restraints. This book is a joyous celebration of this many-faceted festival and a tribute to those who have kept their Carnival traditions alive. ... Read more

Book Description

An overview of the life of Herge, Tintin's creator. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Great snakes! A beautiful and enlightening book
I became acquainted with Tintin in second grade, when I discovered a shelf of Children's Digests which ran abridged, black-and-white excerpts of his adventures. The digests were in no particular order, so I found myself reading, for example, a few pages of "The Black Island," then a smattering of "Tintin in the Picaros" followed by the ending of "Cigars of the Pharaohs."

It didn't matter that the bits were all out of sequence and context, I loved Herge's characters and stories. Recently, a couple of decades later, I started recollecting the complete Tintin adventures and stumbled onto "The Tintin Companion" in a local bookstore. It was shrinkwrapped but I took a chance and bought it anyway.

It was definitely worth it. This book gives a great history of Herge and his career and work. It also goes into detail about each of the stories and the inspirations behind the illustrations.

An extremely beautiful, enlightening, well-put-together book. Fans will love it.

For the Tintin fan who has all the books
My family collected Tintin and Asterix books when I was growing up. My parents have a complete set as do several of my sisters. "Tintin: The Complete Companion" was the perfect gift for them.

"The Complete Companion" discusses the political, scientific, and sociological climate present when Herge wrote the Tintin books. It is very satisfactory to read about the state of space travel and to know where Herge was citing research and where he was leaping ahead.

This is not a story book but inquisitive minds from 8-88 will enjoy it.

Read this and enjoy Tintin even more
In Tintin: The Complete Companion Michael Farr takes the reader on a trip from the early beginnings of Tintin in The Land of the Soviets to the final and unfinished album of the Alpha-Art. With a contagious enthusiasm Farr describes the creation phase of every album and reveals some remarkable trivia you would normally miss while reading Hergé's masterpieces.

It is refreshing to see how thoroughly Hergé documented himself before letting Tintin loose on yet another adventure. A lot of this documentation is reproduced in this book together with the final drawings, so you quickly get a feel of professionalism Hergé showed in all of his work. This is clearly the main team of this companion.

While guiding the reader through the complete works, Farr does not neglect to describe some of the personal problems Hergé had to deal with during his career. Although Farr gives most of the time his personal view on topics such as Hergé working for a newspaper led by Nazis during the occupation of Belgium and the break-up of Hergé's marriage, the author still gives the readers enough room for their own opinions. The sometimes quite remarkable links between the unpleasant episodes in the life of Hergé and the fantastic adventures Tintin and his elaborate entourage are getting into, can only give the reader more respect for one of the most important European cartoonists of the previous century.

This book is a must have for every Tintin-fan.

Everything about Tintin and Herge I didnt know I didnt know.
I always liked Tintin as a kid, but never appreciated the amount of work that went into the creation of the books. Herge based several drawings on real photographs, some of the originals are here. I also used to think that translating the books into different languages was just a matter of changing the stuff written in the balloons. Hell, no! For example, in the original French version of Tintin in Africa, a rhino gets blown up. In a Scandinavian edition, the Scand editors refused to print such gratuitous violence to animals and several frames had to be changed so the rhino runs away, terrified but alive. Several pages are devoted to Herge's decision to continue working in Nazi Europe. The only problem with this book is that it's not long enough. I am sure Farr could have said a lot more if he'd been allowed to by the publishers!

If you like TinTin - MUST get this book
I have been a Tintin fan for 25 years, have read what I thought was every TinTin book available. Still, I was surprised at how much I learned reading this Companion. Almost every page I read in this guide taught me a lot of things about Tintin: how the characters were created, what are the stories behind them, what are the changes made between the present editions and the originals, etc. It's like reading Tintin for the first time ... ... Read more

Book Description

The tiara has played a glittering role in the lives of the elegant and extravagant--from the doe-eyed Audrey Hepburn in the film classic Roman Holiday to generations of England's royal family--representing the height of sophisticated glamour.Worn for centuries by nobility and high society, tiaras are enjoying renewed popularity among today's movie stars and modern brides.Created in conjunction with an exhibition of tiaras at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, this magnificent volume showcases more than 75 of the world's most exquisite tiaras adorned with everything from delicate feathers to ornately decorated, gold fleur-di-lis scrollwork set in diamonds, pearls, and sapphires.An essay by Diana Scarisbrick, curator of the exhibition, traces the tiara's history, and dozens of photographs show tiaras worn by Russian princesses, British royalty, American socialites, and many others.Taking a lighter, popular culture approach to a traditionally high fashion subject, Tiara will delight aficionados as well as those less familiar with the tiara's artistry, who will be astonished by the array of styles, shapes, and showstoppers from around the world. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Another Scarisbrick examination of gorgeous jewels
As I am a big fan of Diana Scarisbrick's "Ancestral Jewels," I was excited to see "Tiara." Although she does a masterful job giving the reader a miniature history of the tiara (especially in its different European forms), I must admit to disappointment at the layout of the book. Dozens upon dozens of photographs of women wearing their tiaras are literally about 1" square (sometimes less, sometimes ever so slightly more). There is so much white space surrounding these photographs that I have to wonder if perhaps there was a misunderstanding among author, editor, and designer.

The latter half of the book fares better, with full-page color photographs of sumptuous tiaras. Scarisbrick shows us mourning tiaras (often constructed of iron, though just as lacy and lovely as their platinum and gold counterparts), brushed gold tiaras, and tairas which break down into sundry bracelets, necklaces, brooches, and stomachers. It's especially fun to see the different tiaras worn for the coronations of King George of England in 1937 and Queen Elizabeth of England in 1953. There is even a photo of Rose Kennedy, whose husband Joe was America's Ambassador to England in the years leading up to World War II. Mrs. Kennedy is pictured in a satin evening gown, wearing a tiara borrowed from a sympathetic English noble friend. An excerpt from her 1974 autobiography notes that when she wore the tiara to court " . . . my children were quite impressed!" One can only imagine.

The range and artistry of the designs is really quite breathtaking. It's just too bad that more care wasn't taken to enlarge the photographs of the women wearing their tiaras, as there's so much interesting interplay of fashion and tradition there.

A Poorly designed book...
In the first 50 pages of this book and then periodically throughout its remaining pages, the photos of the women wearing these tiaras are about the size of a postage stamp, surrounded by large blank white areas. Talk about eye strain... A waste of paper and space. Later in the book some of the tiaras have their descriptions on the page opposite their photos, again, with a large area of white space surrounding the text. All this empty white space could have been used for LARGER PHOTOS. Some other descriptions for 4 consecutive tiaras are on the pages following the photos. Very unorganized, and poorly planned. It would have been SO much better to be able to see how these creations looked on people. Many of the larger photos of the tiaras are lovely, however, a number of them look like a "cut and paste job". Nice to see the jewels, however I think this book is just so-so.

A magnificent publication.
This is a most attractive volume sumptuously illustrated and beautifully laid out. The text is considered and informative. The printing and general feel of the book is in keeping with it's noble subject and would be a first class addition to the coffee table of any true lover of beautiful things. I can only await the author's next project with baited breath.

This book could have been easily so much better
Tiara's are facinating pieces of jewellery. They sit on the head like a halo and bring to life the myths of royalty, aristocracy and an apparent lifestyle of unlimited money.

This book presents a stunning array of Tiara's with many photos that you would be hard pressed to find in any other book.

Having said that, it is the photos which let this book down, not the text which is very interesting in it's self. Each Tiara is photographed in colour, but they appear to have been cut out from their photographed background and superimposed on the book's creme page background. This gives the Tiara's a feeling of slight unreality and flattens them out taking away their 3D reality.

There is also a facinating array of photos of people actually wearing these Tiaras, and it would be worth buying the book for that alone, except the majority of these pictures are produced at thumbnail size or stamp and you need a magnifiying glass to see them well. A shame as it wastes amazing photo research, and does not enable me to see well photos I otherwise would have been astonished to see.

Having said all this, if you have any interest in Tiara's or jewellery history this book is a must, but beware of it's shortcomings. An exhibition cataloge it must have been stunning to see this array "in the flesh".

GOT A MAGNIFYING GLASS?
I love the larger photos in this book but the small ones are the size of a postage stamp. They are interesting old prints and photos but it hurts my eyes to study more than a few at a time. The book is wonderful and worth the price, well researched and keeps your interest. ... Read more

Book Description

Learning in the Museumconfronts the educational role which museums can have and shows how research in visitor studies and the philosophy of education can be applied to facilitate a meaningful educational experience in museums. The book contains a brief history of education in public museums, and goes on to examine how the educational theories of Dewey, Piaget, Vygotskyrelate to learning in the museum. A survey of the wide range of research methods employed in visitor studies is illustrated with examples taken from museums around the world. George E. Hein concludes that visitors best learn when knowledge is actively constructed in their own minds, and provides a model of the "constructivist museum"--one with exhibitions which are physically, socially, and intellectually accessible to every single visitor. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An essential guide to the nature of museum learning.
This book provides an excellent summary of current museum learning theory. Concise and engaging, it includes a compendium of virtually all of the relevant research and concepts in the hot topic of audience-centered and informal museum learning. This is pursuasively knit together to suggest a powerful approach - the constructivist museum. A must-read for anyone interested in understanding how visitors actually make meaning from their museum experiences. ... Read more

Book Description

In the mid 1920's a teacher at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago had a vision to provide students and instructors with a textbook that would introduce them to the artistic legacy of not only Europe, but of the entire globe. In 1926, Harcourt Brace and Company published that vision - ART THROUGH THE AGES. Since that time, Helen Gardner's vision has been the leader in educating students about the artistic legacy of the world. For the past 75 years, ART THROUGH THE AGES has defined the introductory art history course. The intention of this classic, in Helen Gardner's words, has been "to introduce the reader to certain phases of art, architecture, painting, sculpture, and the minor arts from the remote days of the glacial age in Europe, through successive civilizations of the Near East, Europe, America, and the Orient, to the twentieth century." Now, as we begin a new millennium, we do so with the eleventh edition. This text is more accessible and easier to read for students, but does not compromise the richness of the Gardner tradition. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Essential for anybody interested in art
Short review: ... buy it. If it requires selling vital organs or loved ones to pay for it, it's worth it.

Long review: I enrolled in an Art History course with no idea what I was going to get as a textbook. This book is well-written, intelligent, informative without being overly esoteric, and above all beautiful. The prints are generally in color and always well-reproduced. Historical context is always provided, which gives a solid background for anybody looking to learn about the time any artwork was created. The text also offers insightful commentary about each piece selected for display. This book is so good, in fact, that it's become known as the semi-official Art History 101 textbook. Even if the history's not your thing (and for crying out loud, why not?), the book provides untold hours of beauty.

One word: perfection.

Wonderful reference book
A superb reference book, excellent color reproduction, but too complicated and wordy for a textbook for beginning Art History
students.

Comprehensive Source
As a high school sophomore using this book as a reference source for art history AP class has been quite an experience. While encompassing many of the major aspects of art history, there are some points it fails to acknowledge and which can only be addressed by a teacher who actually knows his stuff. The only other complaint that at 13 1/2 lbs., it's very hard to trudge up four flights of stairs.

New!
Book came within a week and was still in original wrapping. No complaints.

Beautiful book, but poorly edited
This is lushly detailed book with fine reproductions. However, I found the book to be full of editorial errors and blunders. Why should consumers be asked to pay one-hundred dollars for a book that is this poorly edited? Profits should go towards finding new editorial help. Let's hope the new edition finds someone in charge that is more organized and observant. ... Read more

Book Description

Europeans unraveled the secret of producing porcelain in Dresden around 1710 and then built a porcelain factory at Meissen in Germany. The Rijksmuseum, renowned for its rich and varied collections of European decorative arts, holds the most outstanding collection of Meissen porcelain outside Germany. This sumptuous book, the result of nearly half a century of dedicated study, makes these marvelous creations of the 18th century available to both specialists and the public at large. The objects are described in chronological order, with an attempt to keep works by indivual modelers together, and include vases, dinnerware, tea and coffee sets, animals and birds, and figures and groups. Entries are included for 340 objects, including large color photographs and many details of each. ... Read more

Book Description

Since the beginning of the diaspora, the myriad of communities throughout the world where Jews settled have influenced Jewish life and art. This exchange between Jewish and non-Jewish cultures has generated a rich variety of Judaica, however it was only in the late nineteenth century that a conscious attempt was made to establish Jewish museums to preserve the Jewish heritage. Jewish Museums of the World celebrates these important museums. This large format book showcases the incredible array of Jewish art, manuscripts, books, ceremonial objects, and historic artifacts that have been produced and collected in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Featured museums include: The Jewish Museum, New York; Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles; The Israel Museum, Jerusalem; Beth Hatefutsoth, Tel Aviv; and the Jewish Historical Museum, Amsterdam. 250 four-color illustrations, as well as a directory with phone, fax, and website information on the 200 museums visited in this book are included. ... Read more

Book Description

During the last centuries of the "Empire of the Romans," Byzantine artists created exceptional secular and religious works that had an enduring influence on art and culture. In later years, Eastern Christian centers of power emulated and transformed Byzantine artistic styles, the Islamic world adapted motifs drawn from Byzantium's imperial past, and the development of the Renaissance from Italy to the Lowlands was deeply affected by Byzantine artistic and intellectual practices.This spectacular book presents hundreds of objects in all media from the late thirteenth through mid-sixteenth centuries. Featured in full-color reproductions are sacred icons, luxuriously embroidered silk textiles, richly gilded metalwork, miniature icons of glass, precious metals and gemstone, and elaborately decorated manuscripts. In the accompanying text, renowned scholars discuss the art and investigate the cultural and historical interaction between these major cultures-the Christian and Islamic East and the Latin West.Continuing the story of the critically acclaimed The Glory of Byzantium: Art and Culture of the Middle Byzantine Era, A.D. 843-1261, this book-the first to focus exclusively on the last centuries of the Byzantine era-is a highly anticipated publication that will not be superceded for generations. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Correction to Previous Review
The first exhibition, "The Age of Spirituality", shown in 1977, was organized by the eminent scholar, Kurt Weitzmann, Professor Emeritus of Princeton University (1904 -1993).

It is also important to note the essay written by Archbishop Damianos of Sinai, Pharan, and Riatho, Abbot of the Holy Greek Orthodox Monastery of Saint Catherine, Sinai, Egypt who on page 335 writes,"...holy icons are more than artful and historical objects. They are a vital entity and a vibrant presence in the liturgical life of the Church, which is the very context that sanctioned and fostered their creation, existence, and use from early Christian times." He goes on to say, "Indeed, by their captivating formal purity, transparency, and clarity, icons create what we may call a resonance or an uplifting in the spiritual sense. They are statements of faith ..."

Lastly, mention must be made of the conclusion of the catalogue and exhibition, which focuses on the influence of Late Byzantine icons on Northern Renaissance art. Many masterpieces are exhibited including Memling, van der Weyden, Jan Van Eyck and Gerard David. They are breathtaking, but perhaps too much icing. A preview of Ms. Evans's next exhibition?

Monumental
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has put together its third monumental exhibition reflecting early Christian and Byzantine art. The first exhibition, "The Age of Spirituality", organized by Helen C. Evans was shown in 1977 and explored Christian art between the third and eighth centuries. Twenty years later, the persevering Ms. Evans was responsible for the wonderful "The Glory of Byzantium, A.D. 843-1261". This exhibit, "Byzantium: Faith and Power (1261 - 1557) is the last of this historic trilogy and is a testimony to Ms. Evans and her team, including Mahrukh Tarapor, who visited 35 countries and in a feat of international diplomacy convinced 129 museums, churches, monasteries, collectors and libraries to part with their treasures. Approximately 350 examples of Byzantine art have been contributed with only the monasteries of Mount Athos holding out. The exhibit runs through July 4, 2004.
The eminent and long respected icon dealer, Dick Temple, writes:
"The exhibition 'Byzantium, Faith and Power (1261-1557)' currently at the Metropolitan Museum in New York is, in my view, the greatest icon exhibition I have ever seen or ever will see. There are loans from 27 countries around the world. Monasteries and museums in Greece, Egypt, Russia and the Balkans as well as the great collections of Europe and the USA have given up their most fabulous treasures for this incredible event. If, 20 or 30 years ago, someone had said to me that one day I would see under the same roof the Annunciation from Ohrid, the Twelve Apostles from the Pushkin Museum, two monumental icons by Andrei Rublyov from the Tretyakov Gallery, 40 icons from Saint Catherine's Monastery at Sinai, the British Museum's icon of the Triumph of Orthodoxy and other similar wonders, I would not have believed them. Well, it is happening now."

There are many other important examples that Mr. Temple could have used. This sumptuous and amazing exhibition should not be missed. The one in 1997 drew nearly 500,000 visitors and this one should top that.

The catalogue, which accompanies this exhibition, is massive. It spans 680 pages and contains more than 800 color plates. The illustrations are beautifully reproduced. It contains important essays and descriptions of the objects by a renowned group of over 100 scholars. Please, please please - do yourself a favor and see this once-in-a-lifetime exhibition and purchase the accompanying catalogue, which will give you much pleasure. Ms. Evans is owed every civilized person's gratitude for her awe-inspiring effort.

Crumbs from the table
This book details late Byzantine art (mostly icons, medallions, and manuscript illuminations) during the reign of Constantinople's last ruling dynasty, the Palaiologoi. Illustrations are small and the art historical writing reads like a random collection of graduate-level symposium papers (on such topics as church vestments and late tomb sculpture) and largely failing to engage the reader. The lack of narrative focus and quality works of art also lends an overall impression that this exhibition represents a culling of whatever happened to be at hand to produce yet another "blockbuster" that lacks much of either faith or power. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

A superb, international collection of botanical art.
This is an excellent collection of botanical illustrations reproduced in very detailed, rich color on quality paper. Artists from all over the world are represented with brief biographies of each one. I think this book is one of the best books to have if you love botanical illustration and would like to see examples done by highly skilled, scientifically accurate illustrators. Just as good or better than the first Shirley Sherwood collection book. ... Read more

Book Description

The Phoenix Art Museum is one of the leading cultural institutions of the Southwest, drawing visitors from all over the country. This gloriously illustrated volume is the first in-depth presentation of some 300 treasures from this major American museum, which boasts splendid American and Western American, European, Modern and Contemporary, Latin American, and Fashion Design collections, as well as an Asian art collection that is world famous.

Monet's Flowering Arches, Giverny (an intimate view of the artist's favorite spot in his gardens for sitting and reflecting); Frida Kahlo's Suicide of Dorothy Hale; Shen Quan's Album of Birds and Animals; and Louise Nevelson's Royal Tide V are among the works featured. All are illuminated by new scholarship, and most have been specially photographed for this volume. ... Read more