No comments about Maria Sibylla Merian and Daughters: Women of Art and Science.

5 comments about Gerhard Richter: Forty Years of Painting.

1. Great book.
   If you like Richter you will love this book.
   Well written and the images are fantastic.
   Must have for any art library.



2. Richter's work is presently on display at the High Museum in Atlanta. My husband and I enjoyed the pieces displayed there and through the museum located this book. The representations are accurate. The work itself is arresting and the colors are magnificent. In the book the artist discusses his technique and educates the reader. The book is now a permanent addition to our book shelf as both a tool for my artist husband and as a book of gorgeous, stunning paintings for both of us to enjoy.



3. A lot of words been written lately about the ýunexpected revival of paintingý fueled by the current Gerhardt Richter painting retrospective captured in this book. It seems, according to some influential art scribes writing in the trail of this traveling exhibition, that the much heralded demise of painting, much like Mark Twainýs death, has been greatly exaggerated. Showcasing about 120 works over a 40-year period, this book is one of the most comprehensive retrospectives ever mounted about a contemporary painter in recent memory, and that by itself is a strong enough reason to buy it. However, it is what has been proven by Richterýs career and accomplishments, and unexpected stature in the art world (Sothebyýs recently dubbed him the ýmost influential living artist in the worldý) and now driven home here, that makes this a-once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn some lessons about the contemporary art world. You see, Richter doesnýt fit the formula for success that many art curators and influential critics and other art powers-that-be have carefully crafted in the rarified atmospheres of the upper crusts of the art world. In fact, Richter breaks every ýruleý that often starts being pressed upon 18-year old art students and then is hammered home in reviews and lectures by many contemporary art critics and curators. Rules like ýyou better have your own recognizable style!ý or ýonly new is goodý and the oddest rule of all: ýpainting is dead!ý But Richter is not only a painter in an era forced to focus on video artists, performance stars and PhotoShop wonders, but also Richter wanders from style to style with an ease and speed that makes this book a lesson on half a dozen art movements of the last century beautifully continued onto the current one. Thumb through the pages here and youýll soon discover that Richter is as much as ease with photorealism ý some ultra sharp and some foggy in detail -- as he is with pure abstraction and with romantic paintings of pretty clouds and scenic waterfalls. This is an artist who is not just happy with thumbing his nose at the well-enforced rule that a good artist has to have a clearly identifiable style and do something ýnewý, but who also seems intent on destroying the other forced formulas of the modern art world: he copies other artistsý works, works directly from photographs, blah, blah, blah ý all sins that would make all my art professors and most art critics sigh in disgust. But above all, Richter paints, and he paints in a time when painting has been dismissed as ýailingý and ýancient.ý New is good, technology is goodý painting is dead.ý Why does Richter paint? Doesnýt he get it? NOPE!! Itýs because it is all about painting! And managing to make fools of critics who forget that their job is to follow the artist ý not to lead the arts. What those who consider painting an ýailingý form will never understand (mostly because they are not painters), is that Richter canýt and wonýt stop painting, because through his veins runs the same intoxicating venom that fueled their ancestral kin in the caves of Altamira and which will continue to drive painters long after todayýs critics and curators are forgotten dust. This book shouts: Art does not have to be ýnewý to be good, and technology is not the only venue to deliver great new contemporary art - it also continues to prove that painting will never die.



4. Gerhard Richter is one of the finest Pop artists of the 20th century. ("Pop" because he is highly non-ideological, even depicting ideological subjects in a completely neutral fashion. His works are plain-old nice to look at.) This book is a beautiful representation of his work, chock-full of his painting, from his earliest works to his most recent, printed nicely in full color. It is specifically the catalog for the exhibit of his works at MOMA in early 2002 (which this reviewer attended, with great delight), but the exhibition was so broad, with a wide range of paintings across Richter's full career, the number of paintings in this book is satisfyingly broad.

   Richter has dabbled in many styles, and continues to produce works to this day, but most often works with abstraction or semi-abstraction. His sense of color is wonderful, and his sense of vision is superb, by which I mean his paintings force you to stop and stare for long periods of time. Many of his paintings are like photographs taken just slightly out of focus. (He uses a projector, but modifies the image just enough to make you know a human did the work.) Their beauty truly makes you look long at them, and their skill makes you wonder how a person can achieve such subtle effects of lighting in painted oil on canvas.

   This book also contains good explanations of Richter's work, but these can become tiresome at times. The worst is that the reviews and the plates are not indexed very well, so it is frustratingly difficult to find a given work, either in the list of plates, or in the various texts. This is a major disappointment, but never mind. The reason to purchase this book is the art. The text is explanatory enough to teach the reader about Richter's career and work, and serves its purpose well enough.

   It is not clear whether the reader unfamiliar with Richter's work, or who has not seen it in person, can enjoy this book on its own merit, but for the reader even slightly aware or curious of Richter's career, this is a welcome volume for the library.




5. This was a gorgeous show, but kind of conservative -- made Richter into the new "master" of painting, sidelines all his weirder and more "conceptual" work. And why does Robert Storr have to try so hard to put himself at the center of everything?? I saw the Richter show in SF around 1990, so no, this is NOT "the frist American retrospective." And Storr's dismissive (and often really uninformed) treatment of other critics (especially German critic Benjamin Buchloh, who's written on Richter for like, decades) shows what a limited writer and scholar Storr really is. But for better or worse, the pictures are great, and a lot of the other material is really good.

4 comments about Rare Bird of Fashion: The Irreverent Iris Apfel.

1. Fabulous book. I saw the exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum 3 times, and I was so disappointed that there was no catalogue. I was thrilled to see this book whole browsing at The Strand. The price on Amazon was a real bargain.



2. This book reminds all its readers that true style grows from individuality. In a time were you would recognize a stylist's style easier than the style of a designer, Iris Apfel's approach to and interpretation of fashion is the light at the end of the tunnel, she certainly has nudged me into the one or the other "true to myself experiment". Iris Apfel's witty introduction perfectly accessoirizes the clothes and jewellery presented, not only poviding background information on how this exhibition came to life but also shedding light on a certainly most interesting and colorful life in a warmhearted and humorous way. This book most certainly will be a longterm occupant of my coffee table.



3. Loved, loved this book. The comments, the photography and most importantly the crediting of designers to each style was extremely well done. This rare bird of fashion serves us notice that we should embrace our individual style and glory in it and not follow the herd or be shy about manifesting our true "feathers".



4. I was lucky enough to view the exhibit 'Iris Apfel - Rare Bird of Fashion' at the Norton Museum in Palm Beach, and what a visual treat it was... Not only is she an icon of fashion, but her style, her combinations of colors and her very different approach to the matter is something everybody should see and study. I have seen and met her in New York, she is the most terrific person!!! The book is amazing as well, great photography!!! I will always treasure this book and every time I open it, there is something else to marvel at or read about... An absolutely great source of inspiration, that simply makes you smile! One could only wish there will be other 'rare birds' to follow her lead.

No comments about The Artist's Guide to Public Art: How to Find and Win Commissions.

5 comments about Making the Mummies Dance : Inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

1. Hoving dishes the dirt as only he can, in this totally addictive romp through the world of collectors, dealers, and socialites. Hoving is clearly in love with his subject-himself!-but he gives such a rare and fascinating look at what goes on behind the scenes in the lives of the movers and shakers that his self-involvement doesn't really detract much from what is just a great read. Highly recommend this book!



2. This book appeals to a select audience. Those who enjoy reading about the great chase for the treasures of the world. Treasures that wars have been fought over. Those who enjoy reading about the super-rich and their foibles. Those who enjoy reading about the intrigues and back stabbings in elite organizations (this book makes The Apprentice look like a pillow fight). And finally those who enjoy reading about a man's all consuming ambition to succeed and yet through it all remain passionate about great art. If any of the above is your cub of tea then you are going to love this. I absolutely recommend his later book 'False Impressions'. And yes, the author spares no punches in his analysis of alot of famous people.



3. This is a great book for reading and as a resource guide book. Makes you feel like your there



4. This is a refreshing book, about the author's personal quest to transform the Metropolitan Museum of Art of N.Y., during his tenure as director of the museum (1967-1977).
   When Hoving arrived as Director, he assessed the Met as a disorganized institution, a collection of collections, located in a mixture of buildings and architectures that gave "the impression of something worse than incomplete; it seemed forgotten and forlorn...." At the time Hoving was offered the post, he was commissioner of Parks, under the tenure of Mayor John Lindsay, whose mayoral campaign the author had joined with a leave of absence from... the Met, where, after receiving his Ph.D. in Art from Princeton University, he went from assistant curator to curator of the Medieval Department and the Cloisters. And indeed, it was Lindsay, when told the news about the directorship, who said: "...have you considered the boredom? Seems to me the place is dead. But, Hoving, you'll make the mummies dance." Hence the title of the book.
   The story is a fascinating, at times egotistical and gossipy account of what it took to revolutionize an institution like the Met. From the seduction of the patrons and trustees, such as Nelson Rockefeller, Walter Annenberg, Brooke Astor, Robert Lehman, to the development of a network of experts, smugglers and famous collectors, Hoving takes us on a journey that reveals a lot about the inner workings of power, expertise and glamour, in the art world.
   At the end, we are led to believe Hoving's final insight about his tenure:
   "With the creative energy of the Trustees who had been on my side and the stuff who supported me, the most sweeping revolution in the history of art museums had taken place. The Met, once an elitist, stiff, gray, and slightly moribund entity, came alive. THE MUMMIES DID DANCE......"



5. This lively look at the life and work of a director of a world-class art museum not only educates and entertains, it shocks. The mummies do, indeed, dance as Thomas Hoving takes on the Park Service to expand the museum, wiggles around UNESCO and fights a host of governments for his favorite works of art, plays one collection against another, trades, deals and bluffs his way toward making the Metropolitan Museum of Art what it is today.

   Hoving has a steam-roller personality, the energy of nuclear fission and no small amount of self-confidence. His educational background -- Princeton and an archeological expedition or two in Europe -- isn't as impressive as you'd expect, but he makes up any shortcomings with old-fashioned chutzpah.

   After some experience in minor jobs and a city job with the Parks Department, he's told he may be selected as director of the Metropolitan so he looks the place over and makes some notes: "The museum needs reform. Sprucing up. Dynamics. Electricity. The place is moribund. Gray. It's dying. The morale of staff is low. The energy seems to have vanished. You've been missing all the fine exhibits...."

   This book shows how MOMA gets from where it was then to what it is now -- the politics, infighting, backbiting, sneaking, smuggling and downright stealing it takes to make a museum one of the finest in the world. It's also a fairly realistic look at the glittering personalities and the haute monde of the New York City of a few decades ago.

   This is a rousing tale that should hold the interest of any reader, art lover or no. Never mind that Hoving doesn't hesitate to toot his own horn. This is, after all, his book. Even taking the stories with a massive grain of salt, they're always riveting and vastly amusing. No one will ever say of Thomas Hoving that he has no opinion on the people and the issues of the art world or that he hesitates to express them.

   I can't imagine anyone not being fascinated by this marvelous picture of the fabulous and often sham world of art museums and the people who support them and run them.

3 comments about The World's Columbian Exposition: The Chicago World's Fair of 1893.

1. this book is great and gives wonderful information and facts....worth the money and is a great buy.



2. A thorough history, interestingly written and beautifully illustrated. A good follow-up to "Devil in the White City".



3. I found this book quite fascinating. I have been reading Erik Larson's wonderful "The Devil in the White City" but since that comes with virtually no illustrations, I bought this book primarily for the photographs, of which it has a great many and which go a long way to conveying just how huge this fair was (there were 735,000+ visitors on the day that had the highest attendance rate).
   
   It also fills in information Larson's book lacks about the exhibits themselves, the individual state and country buildings and the Midway as well as statistics on how much food was served every day and how many bathrooms were available plus it shows pictures of the moving sidewalk that took visitors who arrived by boat to the fair itself; the Xerxes telescope; many displays and decorations made out of corn and oranges; the foreigners who were part of the Midway attractions; the Wooded Island; the first automated paint sprayer (with which a crew of three was able to paint the interior of the entire Manufacturers and Liberal Arts Building in only six weeks); a lifesize statue of a wooly mammoth, then thought to have been the largest animal to have ever walked the earth; and several pictures of the Ferris Wheel under construction. It also has a table showing what attractions were available and how much they cost and one indicating which architect designed which building (something Larson's readers will appreciate).
   
   The only real problem I had with the book (and the reason for four stars instead of five) is that it's printed on regular paper stock and not on glossy paper so the photographs are somewhat blurry and grainy and not as crisp as they would have been had the publisher used different paper. Also the book provides a copy of the map of the fairgrounds given by Montgomery Ward to it's customers but this map is too small plus it's printed so that part of it lies in the book's center crease. I think it would have been better if the publisher had had a map drawn and used that or had found one that provided more information. There is a three dimensional map of the Exposition available on the Web -- it would have been nice if something like that had been included as well since it's impossible to get a comprehensive, birdseye view of the Fair (nevermind one in relation to Chicago and the surrounding community) from just the photographs. There is also a bibliography and a somewhat incomplete index. I don't know how this book compares to other pictorial books on the Exposition but it was fine for what I needed and had lots of bits of interesting trivia besides.

2 comments about Conservation Treatment Methodology.

1. Truly, enjoyable reading if you're interested in the field of conservation. If you can see a cartoon pop-up of conservator's head, well, Barbara Appelbaum explained all. Many good stories, and some technical stuff actually add real flavors. Good stuff, indeed!!



2. I am delighted to have this book. Barbara Appelbaum has thought through and presented many ideas I have met over the last 30 years as a conservator, but that no one before has put into this kind of focus. She demonstrates the kind of thinking that is critical to responsible care and treatment planning. Thanks you, Barbara, for giving us the benefits of what you have been doing and teaching all these years. This is an enormous contribution to the conservation field. The content is insightful and practical. The book should be read, owned and used as reference by everyone who owns or takes care of art objects.

No comments about Archive Fever: Uses of the Document in Contemporary Art.

1 comments about Thomas Hope: Regency Designer.

1. This is a truly excellent addition to the rather small literature on Thomas Hope. Every facet of his career and talents from Interior design,collecting and travel, furniture design, drawing and writing is discussed, as is his -and his family's - history. The catalogue section presents the history and significance of items designed and owned by him and his family. A worthwhile purchase for anyone interested in interior design, collecting or simply the lives of extraordinary individuals.

1 comments about Women Impressionists.

1. When it comes to research into art history it is lamentable that the accomplishments of male artists are over-represented in scholarly publications and that those of women artists are by and large glossed over or just plain ignored. This failing of traditionally conservative male art historians to address this imbalance is slowly being re-evaluated and corrected. A fascinating task, it is being carried out by a new generation of scholars and authors (mainly female) who are giving a revealing and inclusive perspective on the history of Western art. The story of the French Impressionist movement is no different, the names of male artists like Renoir, Degas, Sisely, Manet, Monet and Pissaro are well known around the world and their vividly painted canvases are represented in important international art galleries. But when it comes to the women Impressionists who painted alongside their male peers, history is surprisingly silent and there is a lack of awareness of their unique place in early modern art. There is an unspoken consensus amongst some academics that these women artists were not quite as talented as their male colleagues, and that there certainly were no creative geniuses amongst their number. Based on a travelling exhibition, this well researched volume aims to improve the art loving publics knowledge and understanding of these pioneering women artists who struggled against restrictive social conventions and entrenched misogyny to achieve their painterly visions of the world around them.
   
   In the 19th century and well into the 20th century women were solely expected to fulfill the complimentary roles of motherhood and obedient housewife. The limited work available to them was primarily of the menial or nurturing kind: as governess, nannies, teachers, maids, nurses or midwives. And when marriage loomed women were dutifully expected to give up their jobs, and so their fragile sense of independence. Thus when a woman wished to pursue a career (such as painting) they invariably had to forgo almost any prospect of starting a family and having a "respectable" life as a devoted wife and mother. Throughout Western art history up until the Impressionist era women were barred from attending most art schools for some absurdly prudish and moralistic reasons. When women were allowed the privilege of studying alongside men, there was a hidebound social etiquette in place to "protect" them from anything that may have affronted their delicate sensibilities. This stiflingly Victorian attitude discouraged many women from pursuing art in a professional manner, sadly relegating them to the margins of the art scene... as amateurs. Still, there were a significant but yet small number of women who chose to become professional and successful artists in this oppressive environment. Undaunted these resolute women studied and practiced their craft against almost all odds, and eventually won the begrudging respect of their male peers.
   
   This timely book focuses on the handful of female artists who belonged in the French Impressionist art circle and includes beautiful examples of their oil paintings, pastels, watercolors, sketches and etchings, many in full and vibrant colour. The likes of Bertha Morisot, Eva Gonzales, Marie Bracquemond and the American Mary Cassatt are all included and due attention is given to each artist. The contribution of these four women to this revolutionary movement has been largely (but not entirely) omitted from the annals of art history, and is indicative of a wider cultural bias against the accomplishments of women in all walks of life. It is a shame that this wonderful book does not have more of an international scope, for I'm sure that in the 19th century there were many women Impressionists around the developed world whose names and creative oeuvres have been painted out of official histories of art. This engaging book with its lucid essays will open your eyes to the artistic legacy of these gifted yet undervalued women artists, and its publication will be most welcome by those interested in women's issues. If like me you admire and appreciate the Impressionists with their fresh and progressive approach to painting, Women Impressionists will be a fine addition to your library.