Book Description

This sumptuous book is the third volume of the definitive catalogue raisonnŽ of the work of the American painter John Singer Sargent (1856-1925). Comprising over two hundred portraits and portrait sketches in oil and watercolor painted between 1900 and the artist's death in 1925, this book completes the trilogy of portrait volumes.The catalogued works have been grouped into two chronological sections, each with an introduction that sets the particular group in context. There is also a section of undated portraits and an appendix listing previously unrecorded works. Each work is documented in depth: entries include traditional data about the painting or watercolor; details of the work's provenance, exhibition history, and bibliography; a short biography of the sitter; a discussion of the circumstances in which the work was created; and a critical discussion of its subject matter, style, and significance in Sargent's career. Most of the works are reproduced in color. There is also an illustrated inventory of Sargent's studio props and accessories and a cross-referenced checklist of the portraits in which they appear. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

He Only Gets Better!!
I wasn't sure that volume 3 could live up to the beauty of the first two volumes, but it certainly does, even surpassing them in some ways. Sargent has honed his skills as a portrait painter to such an extent that, in many of these paintings, all that's left is the essence of what he wanted to convey about a sitter. Like any artist, he has his ups and downs, but when he's good it's absolutely breathtaking. These three volumes are all magnificent, among my favorite art books I've ever seen. The vast majority are in color, and the writing about each painting is always interesting, including references from critics, diaries, and even photos of him painting. On page 102 is the wonderful portrait of Mrs. Fiske Warren and her Daughter, Rachel. Next to it are photos of Sargent painting them! Wow!
This is a book, like the first two volumes, that you can return to over and over again. It always has a new detail or personality to interest you. Also, if you like Sargent, get the book "Sargent Abroad" which concentrates more on his outdoor work. I'm not sure any other artist ever had such a natural talent, to be able to paint so many different subjects so well. ... Read more

Book Description

Peggy Guggenheim was one of the most important (and celebrated) art world figures of the twentieth century. Born into a wealthy New York family, she traveled throughout Europe during the 1920s and 1930s where she was witness to the major art movements through her association with artists such as Constantin Brancusi, Max Ernst and Marcel Duchamp, to name a few. With a keen eye and exalted social standing, she amassed one of the most significant modern art collections in private hands. This volume is the only complete book on her exceptional collection.

Through several essays and extended captions, every aspect of Guggenheim's collection, which was donated to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 1979 after her death, is explained. The breadth of the collection is astonishing: from the earliest examples of abstraction by Piet Mondrian to the controlled abandon of Jackson Pollock's drip paintings (whose career she single-handedly launched), her intuition regarding the important trends was almost clairvoyant.

The book begins with an essay devoted to the concept of structure as it relates to the cubist work of Pablo Picasso and George Braque; the lyrically expressionistic work of Wassily Kandinsky and the spare constructivist work of El Lissitzky, among many others. Guggenheim was also deeply interested in surrealist and dada work examples of which are well represented in the collection including the fantastical landscapes of Giorgio de Chirico and Max Ernst's whimsical collages.

Sculpture formed an important part of Guggenheim's collection, many of which were installed to glorious effect on the well-manicured grounds of her home on the Grand Canal, Palazzo Venier dei Leoni. With exceptional care and thoughtfulness, she was able to strike a remarkable balance between more classically-inspired work, such as the soft and refined curves of Henry Moore's figures, and more avant-garde work of Alberto Giacometti whose ghostly, attenuated figures were some of the most haunting works produced this century. In the end, the book chronicles not only the development of a great collection and the life of the socialite eccentric who built it, but, more importantly, the history of modern art.

"People talk about my having power but it is Peggy who will be remembered."-Alfred Barr

Peggy Guggenheim was as brave and bold as the art she collected-perhaps even more so. This volume, with over 150 color plates, is the only complete book on her exceptional collection which is housed in Venice, Italy. The collection is comprised of work by the most important artists of this century, including: Jean Arp
Giacomo Balla
Umberto Boccioni
Constantin Brancusi
Georges Braque
Marc Chagall
Joseph Cornell
Salvador Dalí
Giorgio De Chirico
Willem De Kooning
Marcel Duchamp
El Lissitzky
Max Ernst
Raoul Hausmann
Wassily Kandinsky
Paul Klee
Fernand Léger
René Magritte
Kasimir Malevich
Man Ray
André Masson
Joan Miró
Piet Mondrian
Francis Picabia
Pablo Picasso
Jackson Pollock
Mark Rothko
Kurt Schwitters
Gino Severini
Clyfford Still ... Read more

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Cowboys and horses, adventure in wide-open spaces. The mythos of the Old West comes alive in the paintings, drawings, and sculptures of Frederic Remington (1861-1909). Born during the Civil War and educated at Yale University, Remington committed his life to making portraits of the American frontier. The Frederic Remington Art Museum Collection presents the collection of the museum founded by and housed in the former home of Remington's widow, Eva Caten Remington.

For much of his creative life, Remington worked as an illustrator for publications like Harper's Weekly. His renderings of life in the Old West were hugely successful, and some even accompanied an essay by President Theodore Roosevelt. His drawings displayed a strongly believable atmosphere:

[Remington's] illustrated scenes from the Apache War were rendered in a direct, spare and unsentimental style with an attention to detail that made them seem like snapshots of specific incidents. In truth, like much of Remington's reality, they were generalizations, not documents, created by extrapolating freely from firsthand observations.

Today Remington's work is often seen as problematic, and as evidence of the racist brutality that wiped out the American Indian culture and population. Of course, in Remington's time, his views of the frontier reflected those of most of the United States. Aside from these political complexities, Remington's work captures the imagery of a time and a landscape long gone. If you are fascinated by the Old West, then you should not miss this book. The book includes detailed commentary on the paintings and drawings, with 333 illustrations and 127 full-color plates. --J.P. Cohen ... Read more

Book Description

A trip to Currin-land is like a science-fiction movie, in which familiar things-Old Master works by Bruegel and Courbet, the Rococo idylls of Boucher and Fragonard, girly photos from 1960s men's magazines, and cheerful ads for wholesome American products-are transformed into figurative paintings that border on the freakish. In John Currin's universe, everything looks both commonplace and fantastic, like Norman Rockwell paintings as seen through a fun-house mirror.

Esteemed art critic Robert Rosenblum reviews Currin's output of the past 10 years in this choice monograph-the first major book on Currin's white-hot career. Seventy-five provocatively titled colorplates exemplify the artist's trademark collision of classical technique and 20th-century kitsch. Currin has already caught the attention of Vogue, Vanity Fair, and The New York Times. And what reader wouldn't be curious to see Bea Arthur Naked (1991)? ... Read more

Reviews (2)

No wonder
I hear modern art was beaten into him

The Tops!
The fruit never falls far from the tree. ... Read more

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Maxfield Parrish, the prodigiously gifted, turn-of-the-20th-century illustrator famous for his limpid blue landscapes and dreamy pubescent models draped in gossamer threads, has rolled in and out of artistic favor for nearly a century. In 1964, critic Lawrence Alloway wrote about Parrish's odd place in the history of American art: "He was the most popular artist the country ever produced, with prints in a quarter of all American homes at one time; and yet his kitschy compositions were considered risible among the educated art elite." Parrish himself had a sophisticated sense of his own place in the pantheon: "There are countless artists whose shoes I am not worthy to polish whose prints would not pay the printer," he wrote. "The question of judgement is a puzzling one." But new movements of the 1960s, including photo-realism and pop art, led to critical reappraisal of Parrish's oeuvre, and a few of the later new image painters, such as Joan Nelson, found sweet inspiration in his atmospheric skies and evocative, shadowy forests.

Parrish is finally receiving his due with this truly intelligent, fascinating book. It is the catalog to a traveling exhibition organized by the author, Sylvia Yount, the curator of collections at the Museum of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia--Parrish's alma mater and hometown, respectively. With Mark F. Bockrather, a conservator who elucidates Parrish's formidable craftsmanship, Yount has done a fine job of resurrecting Parrish yet again. She offers a sensitive analysis of the place his pastoral, idyllic, storybook innocence played in a world that Freud, the Great War, the Depression, and yet another world war inexorably tore to shreds. --Peggy Moorman ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Beautiful work and nicely presented
For a century, illustrators have been looked down upon by "fine artists." Finally, Maxfield Parrish, a truely FINE artist, gets his day. He's represented not as an illustrator, but as an artist. Having seen the originals 20 minutes prior to buying the book, I can say with confidence that the reproductions are the truest I have ever seen. A great in the art world (Daybreak was estimated to be in 25% of all American homes), the book is the best look back at an American great.

Good mid- price Parrish book
This is a good entry point into the world of Maxfield Parrish for the budget conscious. It provides the usual essay on the artist's life. What I found really useful was a description of his techniques in the fourth section.It includes infrared and microscopic cross section analysis of his canvasses. If you are looking for an even more economical book on Parrish, try Maxfield Parrish by Laurence and Judy Cutler by Gramercy books also published in 1999. It always intrigues me that published reproductions of his works always 'color' differently from book to book. ... Read more

Book Description

Legendary impresario Bill Graham began in January 1966 to commission posters to promote the concerts he was putting on at San Francisco's Fillmore Auditorium. The poster artists created vivid, irreverent banners that reflected their own sense of poetics, style, and wit. What resulted were signature juxtapositions of design, lettering, and color that represented a brand-new art form. These posters now occupy a place in art history while surviving as treasured artifacts of rock archaeology.

Published in cooperation with Bill Graham Presents, The Art of the Fillmore reunites for the first time in a single volume the original Bill Graham posters created exclusively for the San Francisco and New York Fillmore dance concerts. Indexes cross-reference the posters with the bands they advertised and the poster artists who created them. ... Read more

Book Description

The ultimate collection by one of the most recognized talents in graphic novels: includes over a decade of comics and illustrations by the still-under-30 Adrian Tomine, from Pulse to The New Yorker and Esquire, collected together for the first time in one sharply-designed book. Scrapbook is the first comprehensive Adrian Tomnie collection. here you'll find the complete run of strips which was originally published in Tower Records' Pulse Magazine which Adrian started when he was only 17, along with comics originally published in Details and a host of other magazines of the past decade. A large section of Scrapbook is dedicated to Tomine's extensive illustration and design work, featuring his best material over the years from virtually every major publication in America including The New Yorker, Details, Esquire, and the late JFK Jr.-edited George. Tomines' art has also graced popular album covers and posters for bands such as The Eels and Weezer and posters and its' all included here in this beautifully packaged book. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Perhaps the most interesting illustrator today
This is the best book present I've ever received. Whenever I come across AT's work in the New Yorker, I take a second, third, fourth look. There's definitely a pop sensibility in all his drawings, which I find appealing. The NY illustrations have been getting a little worn around the edges. AT's work brings back some of that edge that makes the NY still interesting--if only for the original art. (Someone dump their poetry editor!) That he could marry bright scenes and clean lines with his often alienated characters is a testament to his skill. Anomie has rarely been so colorful or so curious. ... Read more

Book Description

British artist Andy Goldsworthy, known for creating art outdoors and from natural materials, has now built a 2,278-foot stone wall at Storm King Art Center, a sculpture park on the Hudson River in Mountainville, New York. This sensitive and detailed response to the land-former farmland in an area once rich in stone walls-is one of his most impressive and important permanent artworks. This new work starts by closely following the foundations of an old, dilapidated wall and then makes a series of increasingly voluptuous arabesques before plunging down into a lake. It rises again on the other side and heads straight up a grassy slope to stop dead at a major highway. The book's stunning color photographs show the wall from every vantage point and in all four seasons, as well as documenting ephemeral work made around it. Kenneth Baker's essay considers the Storm King wall in the context of Goldsworthy's other work. The book accompanies an exhibition at Storm King that opens in May 2000.

More than 60 photographs in full color, 9 1/2 x 10 1/2"

ANDY GOLDSWORTHY was born in 1956 in Cheshire, England. His work is regularly exhibited in Britain, France, the United States, Japan, and elsewhere. Although commissions take him all over the world, the landscape around his home in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, remains at the heart of his work. His previous books include Abrams' Andy Goldsworthy: A Collaboration with Nature, Hand to Earth, Stone, Wood, and Arch. JERRY L. THOMPSON is a highly regarded photographer who has contributed to a number of books, including Abrams' Mark di Suvero. KENNETH BAKER is art critic of the San Francisco Chronicle.

EXHIBITION SCHEDULE Storm King Art Center, Mountainville, New York May-November 2000 ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Another flight of imagination from inimitable Goldsworthy
Imagine that you're a giant playing with pebbles in your backyard. There's a big puddle nearby, and a lot of weeds. You idly pick up pebble after pebble, placing them gently one on top of the other, winding what ends up being a wall through the weeds until it gets to the edge of the puddle. That's the deliciously disconcerting feeling you'll get as you page through Andy Goldsworthy's "Wall."

A document of the design and construction of Goldsworthy's wall at Mountainville, New York, the book details the finding of the original, now-falling-down stone wall and the decision to recreate and embellish upon this. Andy Goldsworthy was called in to design the new wall. While he begins by following what is left of the old wall, his work is looser, more elegant, almost scroll-like as it winds down the hill and plunges directly into the water of the lake. There is a calligraphic quality to this wall that's visually arresting and, quite simply, beautiful.

Along with the wall, Goldsworthy can't resist playing with nature in other ways and these photographs are thoughtfully included as well. We see the line of chrome yellow leaves he's stitched together and placed on the wall, the holes he's filled with crimson leaves and water, and the tree whose bark he's lined with, well, other trees! It's astounding to see how Goldsworthy's brain works and what handsome design statements result from his creativity.

Thoughts from a bent back
As one of the wallers involved in the building of Andy's wall at Storm King, I can honestly say that this book gives a really good insight into the ideas behind his work and some of the technicalities involved in its construction. The photography is wonderful and the text informative. This book is well worth a look, and so is the wall itself.

Nice stone work
The photography in this book is stunning, as is most of Andy's work. The real heroes of the Wall at Stormking are the Dykers, mainly Max Nowell legendary stone worker from South west Scotland. ... Read more

Book Description

Delving into one of the most sacrosanct areas of culture--fine art collecting--Thomas Hoving presents a gallery of art fakes, fakers, and the suckers who fell for the scams. From the shroud of Turin to pre-Colombian pottery, Hoving reveals the biggest, the best, the most embarrassing, and the most costly forgeries in history--many of them unknown until now. photos. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Interesting, but falls a little short
Thomas Hoving seems to know his art, and doesn't have any qualms about sharing his knowledge. He may be a premier fakebuster, but as a writer, he could use a little more practice. While the subject matter was interesting, Hoving had a slightly difficult time keeping my attention. He seemed to jump around alot, and made a lot of assumptions regarding my knowledge of the art world. False Impressions is filled with all kinds of interesting tidbits about the world of art forgery and fakebusting. Unfortunately, it can be somewhat difficult to separate fact from opinion. As a novice to art appreciation, I found much of the material to be "above my head". Perhaps after a few years of study, I will be in a better position to fully benefit from all Hoving offers. Probably the simplest and most effective thing he could have done to improve the book would be to include more pictures, perhaps even some color photos, and have them more logically located in the chapters in which the pieces are discussed, as opposed to having a group of plates three-quarters of the way through the book. At the very least, the text could have referenced the plate section. Unfortunately, every time a new piece is mentioned, the curious reader has to flip to the plate section and hope that the piece is represented there. Overall, I would say that if you are really interested in fine art, you will find this book enlightening. But it's not something one would read just for fun.

Packed with information, but uninspired writing
This could have been a more interesting book, but often as not I found it a chore to read. The subject matter -- art fakery, the criminals who perpetrate it, and the curators and journalists who fall for it -- made for a fascinating glimpse into this other world. Hoving just can't write well, consistently.

Sometimes he gets into a mode, like when going over the medieval and renaissance works, where he would cover so many so quickly that it felt as if he were simply reciting names and dates, losing all the human charm it needs to keep your interest. Some of the text made no sense without the plates, and for some parts there were no plates to, I was never sure just what he was talking about. Other times he exhaustively goes over what everything means, sometimes well, but sometimes to the point of irritation. The biggest mistake I saw was that the ending was very rushed; one of the most interesting stories, about a prolific Mexican sculptor, was cut short and glossed over.

Hoving also has a reputation for... embellishing on his own accomplishments or criminals' cleverness. Some of the areas seem a little hazy and farfetched, so I don't know. He always claims his own explanation to be correct anytime there's room for many possible theories, rather than explaining each and giving the highs and lows of them. In tone he is quite full of himself and his accomplishments, always boasting of being a great fakebuster, often sneering at fellow curators and making snide remarks about journalists (who are really only expected to report whatever the curator says, after all, since most aren't trained in art). It washed off me but might irritate others.

Overall, the book does concentrate on the art and the people duped, and it will expand your fine art knowledge in many ways, covering many varied subjects. I'd still recommend it to art students or fanciers, but to most it would simply be too dense and uneven.

For as long as there has been art there has been fakery
For as long as there has been art there has been fakery. This book shows that fakery is an art form. This book also shows art through out history, from ancient Greece to the Roman Empire, from the middle ages to early Victorian Age. The New York bestselling author, Tomas Hoving, was the Director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, if you want to see the thought process of a ¡§fake buster¡¨ or the inner workings of the Met, this book is for you. I liked it because he told the stories of fakers and fake busters throughout history. This man shows that anyone, even the best can be taken by a truly masterful fake. It is such a good read open it to any page and you will get hooked. He also shows that even well-known Artists like Renoir and Monet were known to fake there own pieces just to keep food on the table. He even has a picture section that allows you to see for your self. He will take you step by step on how to uncover a fake. Also this book shows how to prevent from being suckered by giving real life examples of when Hoving has been taken in by the charade.

Interesting but poorly written
This book could have been one of the best books I read this year. The topic is very interesting, and I learned a huge amount from reading it. In fact, when I first read it, I thought it was a 4 1/2 start book. But later I changed my mind.

In looking back at the book, what I most imeediately recall about it are two things:

1. The writing is stodgy and detracts from the tale.

2. The author can't make up his mind who his audience is or what kind of book he is writing.

Sometimes, the book seems to be written for someone like me who doesn't know a whole lot about art and the business of art. In some parts of the book, there are lots aof background details to help a reader make sense of what is going on. However, in other parts of the book, he just writes like he assumes you share his common vocabulary. This makes it difficult for me to follow those parts of the book. By the same token, I expect that a person who found these parts of the book interesting and useful would find the explanations in the other parts tedious and useless. This book can't decide if it is a memoir of the author's life, a history of his career, or a book about art forgery. It would have worked better had it been more focused.

Having made these complaints, I must say that the book was interesting and packed with useful photos to help me make sense of some of the content. In addition, the topic of the book is interesting, and I am glad I read it. I'm just sorry, because I think it is a book on the verge of being a better book than it is, and I hate to see potential come up short.

Hoving strikes again!
Hoving, former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, knows of which he speaks. He takes you on a fascinating journey as he relates his experiences with fakes and frauds in the art world---not just paintings, but great Medieval reliquaries, ancient Greek kouros statuary, Roman antiquities, and pre-Columbian art. He leaves nothing back in his narrative-----which is really refreshing. He details "standard" museum practices of smuggling objects and even names names! And if he doesn't like someone, he doesn't hold that back either.

I found the book informative, lively, and mostly fascinating. I wanted more pictures (there are only a few and none are in color)!! It was a farily easy read too---I read it in a day.

If you enjoy art, art history, or even detective stories, you will enjoy this one!

Stefani Koorey, Ph.D. professor of humanites, theatre, and film ... Read more

Book Description

This publication coincides with the first full-scale museum retrospective on Clark by the Pasadena Museum of California Art. ... Read more

Book Description

For the past twenty-five years an extraordinary art movement has been underway in the remote countryside of northern Mexico, a renaissance of ceramic art in the tiny village of Mata Ortiz.As unlikely as it may seem, this phenomenon was sparked by the genius of a village woodcutter of rare artistic talent and equally rare determination, Juan Quezada.

Over the years, by trial and error, Juan Quezada gradually recreated the technology of the ancient pre-Columbian masterpieces, until modern masterpieces also emerged from his own hands.Now this reawakening of the ancient art is taking many forms in the hands of some three hundred villagers.

Noted Arizona author Susan Lowell has written a fascinating traveler's introduction to the region, the town, Juan Quezada, and many other village artists.Lowell's essay is followed by a biographical survey of a cross-section of 100 potters along with color photographs of their work and portraits of the potters.Included is a guide for travelers planning to visit the village, an index of Mata Ortiz potters, a schedule of exhibitions in the U. S. and Mexico of Mata Ortiz pottery featured in this book, a glossary, and a bibliography. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The Next Best Thing To Owning A Pot
Almost 40 years ago Juan Quesada from the village of Mata Ortiz in Chihuahua singlehandedly revived Casa Grande style pottery. This book is a beautifully illustrated account of his success, along with the other artists of the village who learned from him. Becoming familiar with these artists should lay to rest the notion held by many Americans that Mexican imports are second class. These paper-thin pots are as beautiful as any you will ever see. This book has color photographs of many of the potters from Mata Ortiz as well as pictures of their pots. There is information on how the pots are made-- they are all built by hand from native materials, painted with brushes made from the artists' children's hair and fired over cow dung.

The book has a lot of interesting details-- for instance, when the Pope visited Mexico a few years ago, he was given three of these magnificent pots. Another fascinating tidbit is that one of every seven citizens of this village makes these pots. They have gone from doing manual labor to creating works of art.

Owning this book is the next best thing to owning a Mata Ortiz pot.

The Many Faces Of Mata Ortiz
This is the best pottery book I have ever found! It is layed out in an informative, and beautiful manner. Not only is the pottery exquisite, but the photographs represent the pieces at their best. It is easy to understand, and gets one passionate about an art movement, that we can actually be a part of, in this twenty-first century. It is highly unsual to be living during a time when a new art movement is going on, and still striving for it's pinnacle. We see this with the unequalled workmanship of the Matiz Ortiz people in their Casas Grandes/Matiz Ortiz pottery. I really enjoyed getting to know each potter by name and photo, coupled with seeing their work, and feeling a part of their extended family. Juan Quesada, the founder of this artistic movement, is a highly spiritual individual, generous and gifted beyond belief. He is the reason that this wonderful pottery is being shown to the world. I am an artist that does pottery, and a retired teacher. I would recommend this book to all art teachers, and anyone who appreciates great art.

BeauBeautiful photography of sublime pottery and artisans
This book was my introduction to the world of the artisans of Mata Ortiz, Mexico, and their amazing ceramic creations. While the decorative motifs and other aspects of the pottery were familiar to me, I found that the photography, which I suspect was done with specialized "light painting" techniques, brought out the form, texture, and pattern of the pieces with wonderfully rich detail and nuance. The images were clearly created by a photographer who was very intent on rendering a physical, tactile sense of the objects she was recording. Coupled with other photographs of the artisans at work, and the surrounding Mexican landscape, the book is a compelling portrait of both the people who create the works of art and the art itself.

Unleashing a Ceramic Art Movement
There have been other books and journal articles written about this remote Mexican village, but with the publication of "The Many Faces of Mata Ortiz," a more comprehensive exposure is given to the talented artisans living there. No longer will Americans snub their noses at the Made in Mexico country of origin trademark.The incredible pottery of Mata Ortiz has done much to dispel the notion of Mexican art as being inferior to American art.People the world over can now appreciate the beauty of the works that are produced in the village since the book clearly shows the artists with full-size colored photographs of their creations. In addition, but not less important, the authors introduce us to the potters in such a personal way that we can't help but feel an attachment to them and to their lives.We also learn of the historical importance of the ancient Casas Grandes ruins from which Juan Quezada, the founder of the movement, first explored and experimented. This nearby pre-Columbian city was an important trading center from Mesoamerica to the Southwest and was noted in the 12th to the 15th centuries for its high quality pottery production. Now, people will have a greater understanding of the connection between the tribes of Mexico to the tribes of the Southwest. This book has it all and is most welcomed by experts and collectors alike. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

unique creativity
This is a huge catalog for an exhibition that documented the work of 32 artists spanning the 20th century, and which was presented in 6 museums in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Forth Worth, Texas; Columbus, Ohio; Rochester, N.Y.; and New York City.
Self-taught artists gained tremendous interest in the 1990's, with many curators starting to include pieces into their collections and exhibit schedules.
"Outsider art", as this is also known as, also contributes to the multiculturism of America, as so many of its creators are from diverse backgrounds.

The earliest artist profiled, who lived from 1836 to 1908, is Henry Church, Jr., whose "Self-Portrait with Five Muses" is so wonderful. Among the others are Scottish-born John Kane (1860-1934) with his solemn figuratives, Edgar Alexander McKillop (1879-1950) with his whimsical sculptures in black walnut wood, the great Russian-born Morris Hirshfield (1872-1946) with his unusual female figures and lionine cats, the immensely popular Grandma Moses (1860-1961), the incredible wood carvings of Elijah Pierce (1892-1984), intricate mixed media on paper from Mexican-born Martin Ramirez (1895-1963), whose "Untitled" frontispiece for this book is terrific, the mystical mixed media work of Sister Gertrude Morgan (1900-1980), and the youngest artist included is Ken Grimes (b. 1947) who works with white lettering/designs on a black background.

Perhaps my favorites are Horace Pippin (1888-1946), who is surely one of the greatest of African-American artists, and Joseph Yoakum (1890-1972) with his graceful, delicate drawings.
Each artist represented has an extensive biography, with examples of their work. This is a weighty volume with glossy pages and 140 full-color plates. As the inside cover states: "This is a significant appraisal of the contribution self-taught artists have made to American culture and life". ... Read more

Book Description

Sanford Robinson Gifford was a leading Hudson River School artist. His love of nature first surfaced as a youth growing up in Hudson, New York, and, together with his admiration for the works of Thomas Cole, inspired him to become a landscape painter. Influenced as well by J. M. W. Turner and by trips to Europe in the 1850s, Gifford's art was termed "air painting," for he made the ambient light of each scene-color saturated and atmospherically enriched-the key to its expression.Gifford was a founder of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. At the time of his death, he was so esteemed by the New York art world that the Museum mounted an exhibition of his work-its first accorded an American artist-and published a Memorial Catalogue that for nearly a century remained the principal source on the artist.Now, to coincide with a long-overdue exhibition of Gifford's work, an important new book is being issued.This volume features essays examining Gifford's position in the Hudson River School, his Catskill and Adirondack subjects, his patrons, and his adventures as a traveler both at home and abroad.More than seventy of the artist's best-known sketches and paintings are discussed and reproduced in color. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Definitive coverge of Hudson River School artist
150 pages of the book are devoted to the works on display at the exhibition (I saw it at the Amon Carter). Since most of the works belong to private collectors, once the exhibition finishes at the National Gallery in Washington, this book will be the only place you will be able to look at the body of Gifford's work. The plates are excellent. If you like other Hudson River School painters, you will want this book. ... Read more

Book Description

From initial concept through to finishing touches, for the first time, Boris and Julie give an in-depth description of how they paint their masterpieces, taking the reader through every stage of the creative process. As well as teaching the main techniques, the premiere fantasy-art team shows the reader how to use a wide variety of media to create a whole range of different types of painting, and explain how they create the effects for which they are so renowned, such as Julie's legendary "metal flesh," with its mix of fluidity and hardness contrasting with the sensual softness of the skin. Illustrated throughout in full color, the Practical Guide to Fantasy Art includes step-by-step photographs that Boris and Julie have taken as they've worked as well as a selection of their finished art appealing to art students and fantasy-art admirers alike. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

In 1977,Madonna Louise Ciccone moved from Michigan to New York City, re-christening herself simply ‘Madonna’. Six years of hard work in the clubs of Manhattan with a succession of bands propelled her to the forefront of the New York scene. In 1983, her self-titled debut album was released, and the hit singles ‘Holiday’ and ‘Borderline’ soon followed. Then came seventeen consecutive top ten hits, a further ten albums, and roles in nineteen feature films, from her debut in the 80’s classic Desperately Seeking Susan to the steamy thriller Body of Evidence. Multitalented, controversial in her own proud sexuality and a dedicated campaigner for sexual tolerance, Madonna is one of the great Millennial Icons, a one-woman pop phenomenon who has pushed back and blurred the boundaries of the music, film and fashion worlds.

‘Madonna in Art’ is a celebration of the Pop Goddess at every stage of her career. A testament to her unique global impact, it features work by over a hundred artists, including Andrew Logan, Bruni, Sebastian Kruger, Al Hirschfeld, Donna Lief and Peter Howson. These images range across every role Madonna has played on the world stage, from erotic dancer to the dignified figure of Eva Peron in Evita. ... Read more

Book Description

"Not restricted by a single theme, the 2002 Biennial will exposemultiple, sometimes conflicting currents, as well as extraordinary works that fall outsideof any conventional aesthetic definition." —Lawrence R. Rinder

The "2002 Biennial Exhibition" is the 71st in the Whitney Museum's signature serieshighlighting the most significant developments in American art over the past few years.Throughout its history of support for the development of 20th- and 21st-centuryAmerican art, the Whitney Museum has fostered contemporary artistic innovation anddiversity through its acclaimed and often controversial Biennial. Countless prominentartists have made their museum debut at these diverse surveys of painting, sculpture,works on paper, film and video, performance, and installation. The current exhibitionincludes works by more than 100 artists in traditional Biennial mediums, as well as newinclusions such as web-related, digital, and sound art. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Biennial with an identity problem...
Walking away from the 2002 Whitney Biennial, I had mixed feelings of the state of contemporary art. The Whitney has resigned to classifying it in a catch-all "pluralism" in which there simply is so many voices out there under so many disciplines and influences that it cannot be herded into an umbrella term. Fair enough, but the show is probably an ideal example of how problematic such resignation can be.

The cross-over of disciplines fairly common among artists made for an interesting mix of pieces ranging from collective installations to delicate sculptural pieces to a mix of mainly urban "house-like" soundworks. Indeed the transition from Tracie Morris' stuttering and beautiful soundworks to Chris Ware's highly-detailed agnst-ridden comic panels to Destroy All Monsters' urban, almost adolescent painted tributes to Detroit was a fairly smooth one.

The mood of the exhibition, though often felt artifical and sometimes contrived. In an age of an overabundance of market imagery, pondering over the various aspects of mosh-pits and extreme sports had the impact of a cola commercial. Artists as spiritual conduits; spiritual leaders as artists; channeling the spirits of dead artists. This all seems interesting but were they in the appropriate forum? Which leads to the questions has the Biennial outlived its usefulness as a forum? Has contemporary art outgrown museums as a result of market/academic/visual oversaturation? ... Read more

Book Description

This volumn covers 481 objects from the first centuryB.C. to the eighth century A.D. ... Read more