3 comments about Understanding International Art Markets and Management.

1. Excellent essays on practical issues -- a fresh, valuable read for museum and top gallery professionals, as well as serious collectors and students.



2. This book is a gem. Even for the people who don't know much about the art market, it's still a book worthwhile reading. The writing is very polished, yet easy to follow; the information is in depth. There are a lot of books on Art History; but this is the book on Art Market History with the most comprehensive analysis of economic, political and social impacts on art, artists and art market. The humor and sarcasm in the book make the reading fun. If you enjoy philosophy, politics and history or art critics, this is a great book to have.



3. Iain Robertson et al. is presenting this very sound introduction to the non-expert of the arts international market. It is a collection of articles from different authors; therefore expect a non-linear writing style, which is however easy to understand. It is written from the point of view of the curator, or of someone who stands outside the market as an observer. What one could find as missing, are other perspectives such as the artist themselves. Nevertheless, this book discusses a very wide range of the arts market and even includes chapters such as art crime. The reader can thus easily gain a very good (though theoretical) insight of how the arts market works and of who are the actors in the market.
   
   Five stars are awarded for this book, as I would recommend this book to all those who have an interest in learning how the arts market works and as this book delivers.

5 comments about Chihuly.

1. I gave this book to my mom for her birthday. She is a big Chihuly fan and loved the book. It came quickly and in good condition. The pictures are beautiful and the introduction tells all about Chihuly's life and work as an artist.



2. This book is beautiful! I visited the botanical gardens in St. Louis and saw some of Dale Chihuly's work close up. I've never seen anything like it. What an incredible art form this is. This book brings back the same feelings I had while looking at his work in person. The pictures in this book are breathtaking. The great thing about this particular book is that it has pictures of his work located all over the world. Many of the pictures have a location listed and some of them have Mr. Chihuly's comments on the piece and how he felt about creating it. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a general book on his work. I have it on my coffee table in the family room and everyone who opens it up, can't put it down. Every turn of the page brings a "WOW" or "Incredible". Truly a `must have' book for your collection.



3. I was introduced to Chihuly through a special on my local PBS station many years ago. I couldn't remember his name, but I always remembered that he was the brilliant man with the unorthodox style. His vision and his artistic talents are immense. This book is absolutely mesmerizing and gorgeous with page after page of color photos. From the "Chihuly Over Venice" project to his designs for the set of the opera "Pelléas et Mélisande" for the Seattle Opera. This book truly is a feast for the eyes and the soul. Chihuly is a master of glass and this book proves it.



4. Among the thousands of art books on the market, Kuspit's exhaustive look at Dale Chihuly's career in glass is a bargain for the Amazon price. Filled with gorgeous color photos of Chihuly's unique work, and intelligently written, this book will grace any art lover's shelf.



5. From the front page to the end this book you will be mesmorized. For those familiar with Maestro Chihuly's work this is a bible, for those that just come to learn about his creations this book is a must have. I feel that Dale Chihuly is one of the most talented artists of this century. His vision and creativity are so outstanding in a world of modern art sometimes too bare and conceptual. The book is an array of picture after picture of Chihuly's work. Splendid details can inspire from a decorator to a fashion designer, every page is a microcosmo of creativity. If I had to travel the universe with just a suitcase full of books, this is absolutly one of them.

No comments about The Artist-Gallery Partnership, Third Edition: A Practical Guide to Consigning Art.

5 comments about Inside the Business of Illustration.

1. If after reading this book you still want to be an illustrator, then you may have enough drive to make it. This book doesn't paint a rosy picture, nor should it. Talent, business savvy and realistic goals are all part of the equation. Understanding the difficulties and learning how to deal with them and staying creative is a challenge. Find your niche. Strive to be the best at it and understand this career will consume you. And if you want a life outside of illustration make sure you have an understanding partner and friends who support your career!
   
   Having worked as a freelance illustrator for over 20 years, I can say from experience that there is a lot of truth contained within this book. I definitely would recommend it to anyone starting out or wanting to learn more about illustration and the history regarding this profession. I wish something like this was available when I was starting out, because it would have saved me a lot of time.
   
   4 stars because it doesn't cover other pertinent business matters such as copyright registration, self-employment issues like healthcare, taxes and such. This is not a bible for illustration, it is more of an overview. I wish it had covered more categories in depth but there are other books available out there.



2. I haven't read the whole book yet, but so far, I've learned a lot. I'm only a second year illustration student, but I feel like I'm almost ready for the freelancing world just after reading some of this. Tons of insider information that I gather most illustrators don't learn until they've been working 5 to 10 years.



3. What more can I say...I found it informative and helpful, and I have now read it more than once and refer back to it as needed. I highly recommend it to any one considering a career in illustration.



4. Steven Heller & Marshall Arisman's guidance is invaluable in today's market, this book is a must have for the struggling professional or for the newly graduate seeking to stake their claim. In fact I'd go so far as to say this book SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING at every art school in the country offering illustration courses.
   
   First let me say that for those of you reading this review who don't know who Steven Heller & Marshall Arisman are, you should, and here's why; Heller is the director of the NY Times Book Review, co-chair of the MFA design program at the School of Visual Arts (one of the best, THE BEST drawing curriculums in the county) as well as author of almost one hundred books in the graphic design field. He's been in the business a long time, seen it from the artist side, seen it from the political side and can help make or break a career at least from the perspective of a children's book illustrator. Mr. Arisman is one of the living legends of Illustration with artwork in major U.S. museums, every national magazine and is chair of the MFA program (Illustration as Visual Essay) at the School of Visual Arts.
   
   The interview-style of the introduction to this book is repeated throughout as each chapter is brought to a close with a discussion between these two legends. That doesn't mean however that the kernels of wisdom and genuine professional opinions are repetitive. First they talk about the decline, and now the re-birth of Illustration in America, the springing up of stock illustration houses, how artists need to position themselves with respect to the marketplace, developing a unique personal voice, and working with art directors. How much risk should there be in a portfolio? How much can or should an artist trust the company they are being hired to work for? "Relating to business, most illustrators are in make up class." And from there, the rest of the book takes off.
   
   There are several sections that outline the do's and don'ts - lots of them. Everything from How to interact with a director, preparing for portfolio reviews, promotional pieces and the importance of professional organizations is the foundation for much of the book to follow.
   
   Chapters include the importance of style, how you develop it and how to show it off, new media, the importance of authorship ("Therefore, it is incumbent to the savvy illustrator to build...a diversified portfolio....Your overall illustraion practice should include both works produced exclusively for clinets as well as for yourself that can be turned into original projects."), licensing & editing your works, self promotional pieces, and ethics. I found the discussions about style ("Style is driven by your view of the world, not by a technical procedure.") and Promotion invaluable. For those two chapters alone the book more than paid for itself.
   
   A third section of the book is a series of short but concise interviews with illustrators and art directors. They include: Steven Brodner, Brad Holland, Leo & Diane Dillon, Robert Parada, Nathan Fox, Ward Sutton, Robert Newman (of Real Simple), Chris Curry (the New Yorker), Richard Winkler (Curious Pictures) just to name a few.
   
   A beautiful speech by Milton Glaser serves as the icing on the cake. He talks in depth about our culture's current state of endless consumption, the effects of television on visual literacy and the relationship it has on everything around us. A totally brilliant ending!
   
   Steven Heller's other book, (which I also have and was personally a little disappointed in) "The Education of an Illustrator" seems much more philosophical and aimed at correcting art school education. If I had to choose between which one to buy, I'd recommend this one hands down, every time. Inside the Business of Illustration is NOT a follow-up, if anything it's the bare bones BIBLE for learning how to survive and thrive in the business.



5. very good inside information on dealing with clients and getting jobs...it was a required book for one of my illustration classes

3 comments about Gustav Klimt: The Ronald S. Lauder and Serge Sabarsky Collections.

1. Gustav Klimt (1862 - 1918), while popular and admired in his time, suffered a period of being regarded as the King of Kitsch for many years after his death. It has only been in the past half century (and especially now) that his contribution to the art world is being recognized and appreciated. His paintings are highly prized, are cause célèbre in their movement from collection to collection, and his influence on modern art and the birth of the decorative arts (especially Art Deco) is unchallenged.
   
   This extraordinary book GUSTAV KLIMT: THE RONALD S. LAUDER AND SERGE SABARSKY COLLECTIONS is now the definitive work on the strange man who introduced the Secession, a movement that hoped to create a new style that would depart from historical influence and stir in the influence of Sigmund Freud. Klimt, whose shimmering paintings incorporated gold leaf and sensuous nude women in 'scandalous poses', brought Vienna to its feet to recognize the works of the French Impressionists. The book is not only a compendium of lush illustrations of his photographs, drawings, and paintings, but it is also a fine history of all of the elements that Klimt incorporated into his work and his inevitable influence in history.
   
   The writings in the book are not dry pages of overused history: here are essays by some brilliant writers and historians such as Alessandra Comini, Ronald Lauder, Renee Price, Janis Staggs and others, each of whom takes a special aspect of Klimt's work and life and polishes the information with some first revelations of unknown notebooks and images. In this collection of drawings are little known works of nude women satisfying themselves that show the mutual influences of Klimt and Egon Schiele! But the final glory of the book is the very large collection of Klimt's output. It will be a while before any other volume can match this one for visual and intellectual interest. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, December 07



2. This is the catalogue for the current Klimt show at the Neue Galerie in NY. All the works belong to the two founding collections of the museum and most of them are drawings, which allows an irreplaceable insight into the artist's working method. The illustations are of a very high quality and the book is a treasure trove of information on Klimt's early Austrian collectors (mostly Jewish,which accounts for their tragic fate during WWII), and the subsequent "discovery" of Klimt by American collectors, thanks to some courageous dealers like Otto Kallir, owner of the gallery Saint-Etienne in New York. The book also dwells on the much commented recent acquisition of Klimt's famous painting "Adele Bloch-Bauer", which is the centerpiece of the exhibition, and on its importance in the artist's oeuvre. Without being a retrospective, this book, through its many top-quality illustrations and thorough studies of various aspects of Klimt's oeuvre, is a must-have for any art lover, even if some may wonder if the artist is really the top-tier painter that the Neue Galerie makes him out to be: isn't Klimt's art sometimes too decorative (especially when compared to Egon Schiele's)?



3. Although there are few paintings in the collection itself (mainly drawings), a large number of paintings are actually represented in the book to illustrate essays on Klimt's most important patrons and muses (some of which I had not seen in reproduction before) - these form about half the book, with interviews, contemporary documents, letters and photographs - I found this section the most interesting - there are also good essays on his background and his relationships to other artists, contemporary reception of his work, and his inspirations (especially fascinating were the visual comparisons of his drawings of nudes to the work of a contemporary erotic photographer, where the similarities are too many and complex to be put down to pure coincidence). Most poignant is the essay on three of the most prominent Jewish families of the period who were major collectors of Klimt's work - the Lederers, the Bloch-Bauers, and the Zuckerkandls, based on a mind-boggling 193 references. These families began the century at the pinnacle of contemporary society, and were at the centre of Vienna's cultural life; their stories make for harrowing reading - for example, Elizabeth Bachofen-Echt, the daughter of Adele Bloch-Bauer, survived the Third Reich by claiming that she was Klimt's illegitimate daughter and therefore of mixed race - and are worth the price of the book in themselves. Layout and reproductions are superb, as is the general quality of the book. A joy to the eye and definately one of the best art books on the market.

4 comments about Art Deco: 1910-1939.

1. No problem.
   Long shipping, the book arrived some days after christmas.
   Olivier



2. Bought it - read it - refer to it as a source and to unashameably copy.
   Niggles;
   1) No art deco gardens. Is this an ommission or was this branch of human endeavour eschewed by the industrial age?
   2) Illustrations of pieces sometimes miss listing the media and all are missing the size.



3. This book is an absolute triumph. First, it is positively gorgeous - the images just leap off the pages. Second, the essays are more in-depth, engaging, and informative than any other book I've found on the subject. This book discusses every facet of Art Deco as well: it explores the origins at the Paris Exhibition in 1925, goes through the influence in East Asia, Latin America, and South Africa, not to mention Europe. A great chapter on Deco in Hollywood; also explores all of the sources, iconography - and all of this on top of covering every aspect of the movement - ceramics, jewelry, fashion, architecture, glass, photography, graphic design, bookbindings, travel and transport, and so so much more - with stunning visuals. A fantastic read, a great resource, a beautiful work, and an absolute MUST for anyone interested in the subject! Well worth the money, and a fantastic addition to any library. Highly recommended!



4. A sumptuous coffee-table book of this exuberant art style and I think it could well become the standard book on the subject. The forty essays are divided into four sections, Sources and Iconography, 1925 Paris Exhibition, Spread of Deco and finally Deco World, and I liked the way, especially in Sources and Iconography, that the authors explain how various art styles were moulded into deco art which culminated in the very influential 1925 Paris show.
   
   I thought the last two sections were a fascinating coverage of how Art Deco spread around the world, mainly as architecture and fashion, though in Europe also as a fine art style. In North America, it influenced a huge range of commercial products. Perhaps this was the only art form that was truly democratic in that it was available (as streamlining) to be seen or bought on any Main Street across the Nation.
   
   The design and printing are excellent. Many of the photos, especially color, are presented whole page, the rest are all well sized, and they all have captions. The back of the book has a very comprehensive bibliography, fortunately listed as relating to each chapter rather than just an alphabetical list, the index is divided into two, Names and Subject. I was very impressed with this attention to detail and with the excellent text, images and production surely `Art Deco 1910-1939' will be read for many years to come.
   
   ***FOR A LOOK INSIDE click 'customer images' under the cover.

2 comments about Los Caprichos.

1. This book is phenomenal. The only thing I could say against it is it's a bit small, but I believe the images are actual size, so of course there's not much to be done. A good hardcover edition would show these off very well. These Dover art books are a great, cheap way to get access to images like these if you can't commit to a fine edition or, should you be so fortunate, one of the original prints themselves.
   
   Goya one-upped Surrealism, Expressionism, and much more, a hundred years before the fact. These prints take you on a dream journey through some startlingly original imagery that scrutinizes human social engagement with an unsparing eye. Cynical would be too soft a word for some of the images, but somehow it's hard to disagree with Goya's positions. You feel like people were often that empty in Spanish society of the time. And what about today?
   
   As for the formal side, the etchings are technically inventive, uninhibited, masterful, confident, and often understated. Goya is content to let a few lines and a dark mass of aquatint evoke a whole interior, alleyway, or landscape.
   
   In a way, these prints also relate to Edward Gorey, Tim Burton, and many more. In fifty years you'll be able to rack up a new breed of descendents. Their influence, I'm sure, will be timeless.



2. Goya aparently did this book to show how silly the superstitions of the common people were, and still are.

1 comments about Splendors of Versailles.

1. 
   This is the lavishly produced catalog for the impressive one-time, one-venue 1998 show of the same name at the Mississippi Arts Pavilion, at Jackson. This 225-page, 9x12 inch format heavy card-cover tome shows outside and inside views of the major rooms of Versailles, mostly full-page size, then focuses on shots of the 120+ artifacts and installations included in that ambitious show.
   
   The Mississippi Commission on International Cultural Exchange did a 1996 one-venue show on Russian Imperial Style that broke U.S. exhibition attendance records -- these people do great work, and this show's catalog reflects it. Printed on heavy gloss paper in superb color, it includes well-selected paintings, tapestries, porcelains, the king's bedchamber installation, and the controversial 10-ton equestrian statue by Bernini.
   
   This is a superb coffee table book, especially for the remarkably low (as of this writing) aftermarket price. I'm not familiar with the other extant Versailles books, but this one looks like a must-add to any Versailles enthusiast's collection. It would be in much higher demand -- and fetch higher prices -- if it weren't a show catalog, and hence not as well known as it might be. A royal sleeper!

1 comments about Sensorium: Embodied Experience, Technology, and Contemporary Art.

1. This is must in the library of anyone who studies or practices new media art.

4 comments about The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide Revised Edition.

1. Like the Louvre in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum is a fabulously wealthy storehouse of incalculable value, "a living encyclopedia of world art. Every culture from every part of the world - from Florence to Thebes to Papua New Guinea - from the earliest times to the present and in every medium", "frequently at the highest levels of quality and invention", is represented. Also like the Louvre, its holdings are immense - "more than three million works of art, of which several hundred thousand are on view."
   
   The guide, organized in the same fashion as the museum, suffers only by its inability to represent the museum completely. Choices had to be made. How incredible is it that the museum holds thirty paintings by Monet and the editors of the guide were forced to choose only four? How many museums in the world could lay claim to having five paintings by an artist as illustrious as Vermeer and yet be limited to including only three in their guide?
   
   Having been fortunate enough to indulge in a recent visit to the museum, I can tell you that all five works by Vermeer and all thirty by Monet were as magnificent as one might imagine. The guide (a wonderful way to prepare in advance for any upcoming visit) will serve as a memorable souvenir and the descriptive text written by the curatorial staff of the museum will serve to elucidate the history and context of the individual pieces of art that were chosen to best represent the museum as a whole.
   
   Highly recommended as a way of enjoying the world's art even if you think you will never be in a position to enjoy the visit in person.
   
   Paul Weiss



2. This guide to the Metropolitan Museum of Art helped me to plan what I wanted to see in that museum, and to learn beforehand about many of the works of art I was going to find there (for example European paintings, Egyptian, Greek and Roman Art, etc...). What is more, this book allowed me to read about some paintings and sculptures I didn't have time to see, even though I would have loved to be able to do so (too many beautiful things to see, to little time). Well, I suppose next time I will just have to start by the 2nd floor!.
   
   I think you will appreciate the beautiful color illustrations, and the opportunity to plan ahead of your trip and not in a hurry what you want to see first. This is not only the kind of book that helps you to prepare for a visit and to enjoy it, but also a souvenir you will treasure after returning from your holidays. Recommended!
   
   Belen Alcat



3. Phillipe de Montebello is one of the top museum directors in the world, thus he runs America's greatest museum. This guide is perfect, it allows you to get a feel for this singular museum and its extensive, to say the least, collection. So much is packed into this guide, every area of this vast collection is hit upon, and most importantly it helps you navigate this HUGE building, if you are going to tackle this emmense museum then you MUST have his guide, it really helps you make the most of your visit. It is well worth the investment, I advise getting it well before you go to the museum and read it thoroughly, it will make your trip so much more enjoyable and worthwhile I assure you..it's like taking the museum director with you..in your back pocket...though at five hundred pages you may need a uh, large back pocket...at anyrate it's easier that putting Phillipe in there, verdad?



4. Before committing a couple of days to museum hopping while in New York City, a word to the wise: this book is a must for understanding the scope of the collection of the paintings, drawings, sculpture, architectural renderings, relics - everything that makes the Metropolitan Museum one of the most 'compleat' collections in the world.
   
   Yes, the book does show outlines of the museum's layout to facilitate the enjoyment of the various sections. But more important than that, this is a compendium of examples of some of the finest art in collection. The reproductions are excellent with all of the data needed to give a brisk brush up on not only the work illustrated but the timeframe incidentals that make the Metropolitan such a user friendly museum.
   
   Whether for the personal library or for the perfect gift for art lovers, 'The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide' in this revised form is highly recommended. Grady Harp, November 05