5 comments about Andy Warhol Prints: A Catalogue Raisonné 1962-1987.

1. With a lot of so-called bargains on ebay, this really helps to verify if it is an athentic Warhol print. Good are the infos on Warhol's "after" prints like Sunday B. Morning.



2. This is more of an encyclopedic collection. Get it only if you are a student (or more than just a fan). To be sure, there are many, many beautiful images (as was much of Warhol's work esp in the 80s) but most of the images are 2-inch or 4-inch squares. This is not a coffeetable book designed for delightful perusing and seeing large images.



3. UNLIKELY IMPORTANT IS THE POMP AND DUSTY RESOLVE FROM ONE REVIEWER. THIS IS WITHOUT EQUAL A HAND BOOK FOR THE SILKSCREEN PRINTER. A VIRTUAL BLUE PRINT OF COLOR AND COMPOSITION LAYERED IN COMPLEX RICHNESS .
   FOR THIS REVIEWER, PROCESS,PROCESS,PROCESS IS WARHOLS GIFT TO ART HISTORY {EVEN IF HIS ART IS MISTAKENLY THOUGHT OF AS VAPID . }
   MASTERED BY SUCH PRINTERS AS ALEXZANDER HEINRICI AND RUPERT JASEN SMITH, SILKSCREEN PRINTING IS IN FACT A VERY COMPLEX ARTFORM.THESE PRINTS WHERE NOT MADE WITH THE AID OF COMPUTERS, SUCH AS TODAYS "ARTISTS" EMPLOY.RATHER THIS BODY OF WORKS ARE PAINSTAKENLY PRODUCED BY HAND EITHER BY WARHOL OR BY ARTISAIN PRINTERS.
   COMPLEX PHOTOGRAPHIC MEANS ARE EMPLOYED FOR WARHOLS STENCIL MAKING. AS IMPORTANT TO ART HISTORY AS SENEFELDERS LITHOGRAPHIC PRESS INVENTION, SO WILL SILKSCREEN TECHNIQUES ANDY WARHOL PIONEERED. PERHAPS WARHOLS WORK WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED IMPORTANT TO ART HISTORYS FUTURE PERVEYORS.IT WILL IN FACT BE TESTIMATE THAT A PRINTMAKING MEDIUM WAS MASTERED AND BARRIERS PUT DIRECTLY IN WARHOLS PATH BY BROW BEATEN ART CRITICS WAS CRUSHED,BECAUSE WARHOL GOT HIS REAR END OFF THE COUCH AND DID SOMETHING. I RATE THIS BOOK AS A 10 AND IS A MUST FOR STUDENTS OF PRINTMAKING AND MODERN ART.
   SINCERELY PETRA



4. All the prints, those published and unpublished by Warhol. A lot of color and the layout is good. There's a good essay (by Donna De Salvo) to introduce what Warhol's printmaking was about.
   
   As much as it may impress, seeing all these prints, unfortunately, conveys a Warhol on autopilot.The "machine" he spoke of wishing to be. Apart from a few famous themes Warhol's prints may represent a triumph of quantity over quality. Prints of many different contents but of the same mechanism, silkscreening, begin to look alike. The selection of images, initially striking in the few deservedly famous subjects (e.g. Marilyn, Jackie, the electric chair, flowers, self-portraits, the soup can, Mao), seems mostly mundane, perhaps tacky. No artist has perhaps created so much forgettable work. But the diversity holds the promise of leading you (and me) beyond any initial limiting set of favorites. Warhol attacked from many directions.
   
   After all, how much I'd like to have Marilyns or his flowers on my walls, to begin with. You have plenty to pick from in this book: even finding ten great images may be worthwhile. And, over time, as you change, your favorite Warhol prints may change.
   
   At the back of the book are a chronology and exhibition history which focus on the prints. At almost 400 large pages using excellent paper, this good value is made to stay. Nevertheless, one is left wondering whether the drive to create or the drive for wealth was stronger.



5. its a really great display of andy warhol's work.. theres alot of unprinted art work in the book as well.. its great i really enjoyed it. when i picked it up at the book store i sat down and flipped through it, and i liked it so much i flipped though it two more times after that. i love warhol's work, and i've seen some great books but this one is by far the most amazing. if your a die hard andy warhol fan, i totally reccomend this book.

4 comments about UltraModern: Samuel Marx Architect, Designer, Art Collector.

1. In choosing to name this book, "Ultramodern...", the author has painted herself into an intellectually untenable corner; the evidence presented in the book would scarcely lead the reader to the conclusion that Chicago architect/furniture designer Samuel Marx was even modern, let alone "ultramodern". And it is not as if Ms. O'Brien was not given ample opportunity to prove the title's assertion.
   Given the enviable privilege of unfettered access to a trove of material (including photographs detailing Marx's commissions) owned by the Chicago Historical Society, the Art Institute of Chicago, and numerous other cultural repositories , Ms. O' Brien was able to "cherrypick" the most suitable examples of Marx's furniture to make her point; she presumably chose to exclude information and photographs which would be less compelling in illustrating the putative importance of Marx as a modernist architect and furniture designer. Despite this obvious selection bias, the vast majority of the items chosen to be illustrated by O'Brien (perhaps 80%) were merely comfortable reinterpretations of known traditional styles commonly found in haute bourgeois households of that period. Perhaps more distressing is the fact that a good deal of the furniture "designed" by Marx that would putatively be labeled "modernist" in today's world is shown to have been "adapted" (O' Brien's term) from works that had been previously designed by luminaries such as Jean Michel Frank, T.H. Robsjohn Gibbings, Donald Deskey, Paul Frankl, Isamu Noguchi and others.
   
   In actuality, Marx's adaptations frequently make the pieces less modernist, not more. In some instances his adaptations fail altogether. For example, Marx "adapted" a sleek off white Jean Michel Frank parchment covered waterfall low table by gluing a thick black (Chinese) Coromandel panel to the (replicated) table top thus ruining its sleekness and monochromatic subtlety. The result is analogous to adding a large set of gilded bull's horns to the grill of an exquisitely sculpted classic Rolls Royce.
   
   One of the tenets of modernism, "Form follows function", was obviously not an urgent priority for Marx . Living in Chicago for more than 30 years, I've had the opportunity to handle/inspect many known pieces of Marx furniture that have shown up at local auction houses (more than 100 pieces at Wright, Leslie Hindman, Sotheby's (Chicago), Susanin's, Hansel's , Toomey Treadway, Dunning's, Bunte, Milne Klein etc.) and hundreds more that were most likely done by Marx but were unmarked (much of his furniture was unmarked, a fact that is not even mentioned in the book). What is discernible after inspecting even the "best" pieces (and living with some of the others) is that Marx's pieces were not very well thought out. For example, if one does a search for Marx's furniture, a silverleaf bombe chest being sold (for about $70,000) comes up. This dresser, which sold at Wright Auction about two and a half years ago for about $25,000, has massive drawers which are extremely cumbersome. Moreover, Marx made matters worse by unwisely choosing to put only one centrally placed pull on each drawer (and not a very functional pull at that). Resultantly, even when the drawers are empty, they are very unwieldy; fully loaded, they are nearly impossible. More recently (December 2007), Wright Auction (the purveyor of the most desirable Marx furniture at auction and certainly the most fecund source for "signed" pieces) sold a simple burled oak veneer desk designed by Marx for one of the partners in his architectural firm (Charles Schonne) for about $16,000. The desk drawers had no pulls on them whatsoever; only the top drawer had an indentation for fingertips to facilitate its opening. In order to open each of the remaining drawers, one would need to grasp with one's fingertips both of the (lateral) free edges of the drawer and tenuously negotiate its opening. The desk is fairly attractive but not very well designed. These are not isolated examples; they are fairly typical. Moreover, Marx chose to make most of his furniture with veneers and time has not been very kind to most of them.
   
   To what did Marx owe his success? Quite simply, a large part of his success came from social connections garnered as a result of his marrying stunningly well (at least twice). Marx, whose father was a prosperous dry goods merchant in Mississippi, seemingly hit the marital jackpot in 1916 when he married Margaret Schaffner, the daughter of the head of Hart, Schaffner, and Marx (no relation). Through social connections facilitated by his marriages, Marx received many commissions from members of his elite social set which included a bevy of extremely wealthy Jewish corporate movers and shakers, mainly in Chicago but also in New York and Los Angeles In 1937, after a brief second marriage to a sculptress (who went on to be the long term paramour of Mies),the 52 year old Marx married Florene May Straus, the daughter of the founder of the May Company, a thriving department store chain. (To put this in perspective, May Company was purchased by Federated Department Stores in 2005 for $11 billion.) This marriage opened even more doors for Marx, including a series of commissions amongst the Hollywood elite. It was only after his marriage to Florene that Marx started collecting major art works by big name artists eg. Modigliani, Picasso, Matisse, etc. In the book, Ms. O' Brien makes a good deal about the "moderness" of the Marx art collection but again this is somewhat misleading. To collect Picasso, Matisse, and Modigliani in the 1940's and '50's was not at all cutting edge; Picasso and Matisse had already been superstars in the artworld for nearly 30 years before Marx bought his first major work.
   
   This is a good book to borrow from your local library or through interlibrary loan.



2. This book gives a very good insight to the man as well as to his work. The photography was excellent. I was able to understand alot about the great designers and architecs of the mid portion of the previous century.



3. Samuel Abraham Marx was an architect, furniture designer, connoisseur, and collector who worked during the early decades of the 20th century. Profusely illustrated with more than 200 images, "Ultramodern Samuel Marx: Architect, Designer, Art Collector" by Liz O'Brien (a decorative arts dealer specializing in modern design) is the first monograph of a once relatively obscure by nowadays increasingly influential American designer. "Ultramodern Samuel Marx" is the product of ten years of research and includes many of his undiscovered projects, including houses that he designed but which have been razed (despite preservationist protest) as well as his unique furniture designs. Properly providing context to his place in the history of twentieth century architecture and design, "Ultramodern Samuel Marx" is an informed and informative showcase of a remarkable talent whose hallmark was to so skillfully combine architecture and furniture designs so that they complemented and supported each other both esthetically and functionally. A superb and insightful introduction, "Ultramodern Samuel Marx" is a very strongly recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library American Architecture reference collections and supplemental reading lists.



4. This book highlights the importance and beauty of the "real modern" movement and one of its most celebrated arctitects of the movement. The homes and furnishings that exsit to date that we are able to study and review are just wonderful. It is an important book for anyone interested in the modern movement and its historical development in the United States. It is written extrememly well and informs without lecturing the reader. A perfect book for our current era of "editing our lives."

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.

5 comments about Hundertwasser's Architecture: Building for Nature and Humankind (Jumbo Series).

1. I fell in love with the work of Antoni Gaudi during a visit to Barcelona in the 1990's, and frankly wondered why his delightful ideas were never widely emulated. During a recent visit to the design studio of Metal Artist Brett Goldstone, Brett showed me a copy of "Hundertwasser Architecture" and I was immediately hooked! His revolutionary ideas on "human architecture" should be compulsory reading at every school of architecture and every city planning department! It's time we brought more life into our living and working environments; Hundertwasser's design and architectural concepts should at the very least be considered.
   
   Michael Locke, Editor "The Silver Lake News"
   Silver Lake Correspondent, "The Los Feliz Ledger"



2. Hundertwasser Architecture: For a More Human Architecture in Harmony With Nature Is an amazing look at Hundertwasser's structures and ideas about structure. For builders, designers, architects who believe in building structures which flow with both their environment and their function, this book is nothing short of inspirational. Many ideas for not only building and designing from the raw ground but also for retrofitting and improving existing structures. Hundertwasser's ideas that the buildings should "belong" to the users: trees, people's interactions with the space, allowing those who inhabit the building to have a bit of control of the building so they are committed to the structure and not just passing through are all expressed here. Designers of stucco boxes could benefit from his ideas.



3. I spent much of the 60s and 70s with posters of Hundertwasser's paintings on my walls. It was always clear that he was an architect, but one without any commissions. So when I came across this book, I was ecstatic. He's actually building! He is freeing us from the tyranny of straight lines, 90 degree angles, and an architecture divorced from nature. Some of his buildings are like something out of Willa Wonka and the Chocolate Factory!

   I'd love to live in a city filled with Hundertwassers rather than the neo-prison building that passes for architecture these days. And so would others -- rents at Hundertwasser buildings in Vienna fetch a huge premium. And he is regreening cities at the same time. I can't wait to go visit!

   This book is also wonderful for preteens -- it will stretch their minds about what is possible -- and give new reason to study the math and physics necessary to realize the cities of our dreams.

   This book was my Christmas present to myself (I also gave it to others), and it was the best present I got! Every time I open it, I want to sing!




4. The ideas in this book expolore the relationship of manmade structures to nature. Hundertwasser displays many of his creative solutions to keeping green spaces while still making spaces for people to live. He addresses the human side of sustainability by forming spaces that "make the whole person vibrate" with life.



5. This book about this extravagant architect is a very nice edition, including beautiful images and clearly explained background information. I regret not having bought this book from Amazon, though; I purchased it in Belgium, at a much, much higher price, and still I think it was worth it. Certainly a great addition to your personal art library. Buy it and enjoy!

5 comments about Museum: Behind the Scenes at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

1. This is one of those books that while you are reading you hate to come to the end because it is so well-written and inspiring. Having gone to the Met many times, it was delightful to read about the behind-the scenes happenings. I very much like the fact that the author painted such a broad scope of people whom he interviewed from the plumbers, waitresses, curators, members on the board of directors and the people whose relatives have given millions in acquisitions.
   
   This is a wonderful book and a must-read for anyone who appreciates art.



2. What a rich, generous, amazing book! Perhaps fifty different people from curators through trustees, security people, and cleaning staff show us how they all work together to make one of the greatest museums in the world. From the extremely wealthy trustee to the waitress with aching feet, it shows the human faces behind the priceless art in New York's Metropolitan Museum. We know about the life of Van Gogh; now we can learn about the people who serve the place which keeps his work safe for the world to see. To the author: thank you so much!



3. A recently published book that has a chapter about me and my work as a copyist at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Most of that work can be seen at www.raymondsmithart.com. I prefer to think of my work as 'replicas', since 'copy' has a perjorative meaning in the art world.
   
   I am very pleased with the work that Mr. Danzinger has created. An accurate portrait of me as a person. Years later there's not a word that would be different. He also understands and presents the traditional idea of a 'copyist' well. This is an idea that has unfortunately suffered over the years, yet is a valuable way to learn the craft of painting. Perhaps that idea will make a comeback, and writing about it like this in a positive manner will only help.



4. I bought this for my friend who is a docent at LACMA, she couldn't put it down!
   Very informative and insightful in the behind the scenes of one of the worlds most famous museums.



5. If you've read Rupert Smith's book on the British Museum and expect a similar read here, Danziger's book is not structured that way. I think a better title for this book is "Indulgent Interviews with the passionate people behind the scenes at the Metropolitan Museum" where each interview (presented as a monologue) is basically 30% (or more!) the life history of the interviewee and the balance being their present lives attached to the Museum. I haven't been to either museum but received a much better picture of the British Museum from Smith. However, these are quite different books since Danziger's book is all text with no accompanying photographs whereas Smith's book presents useful photographs to accompany the story of the museum with its different departments and curators (and other museum personnel) and objects that they love. I would say that about 30% of the content in Danziger's book is not directly relevant to the behind-the-scenes aspect of the Metropolitan Museum but does generally go into their passion with art.

5 comments about Tiaras: Past and Present.

1. What a lovely book. The photos are absolutely superb. So clear. Love the photo's of the owners wearing them. Such a diverse range of designs. The skill of the designers & the jewellers who made them is just brilliant. If you love jewellery this book will not disappoint you.



2. Excellent adventure into an art form using precious metals and jewels to make the perfect man made crowning glory. The text and photos bring a historical context to enjoy the art and creativity this subject requires. The gems , the glitter and imagined glamour make this book a must have along with Geoffrey Munn's definative text published earlier "Tiara's : A History of Splendour" .



3. I was lucky enough to SEE the exhibition at Vic and Albert in London and that is where I got this book. Tiaras were absolutely fabulous and the book transportes the magic and splendor very well. I gave this book to a friend who owns antique jewellery shop and am thinking about getting another copy for myself.



4. Wow! I just got this book, and G.Mann's huge other tiara book. This one is based on the exhibit that was done at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and contains not only old tiaras, but modern ones done just for the exhibit. There is very little overlap between the two books, so I was not disappointed. The photos are huge, clear, and show lots of detail. There's also lots of good information. The other, bigger book is a better deal at $47, but this one's no slouch either, and the price and size would make it a great gift.
   
   [...]



5. I recived this book as a gift. It was one of two books on tiaras by G.C. Munn, this book gives you a look at what kind of Tiaras are being made and worn by todays Women. The Photos are of good quality and sharpness You can see the Craftmanship in each piece.
   If you ever wanted to have your own Tiara this is the closest thing to it.

No comments about Graffiti Planet: The Best Graffiti from Around the World.

5 comments about Rick Steves' Mona Winks: Self-Guided Tours of Europe's Top Museums (5th Edition).

1. I have found all of Rick Steves' books to be worth their weight in gold. You will save so much time and money by using them. However, as loaded with good information as this one is, I found it rather useless once in the museums because I couldn't peel my eyes off the art to look at a book!! The thought of pouring through a book spoiled the mood, so I never used it while in the museums. However, if you wanted to, this is the book for you.



2. This book is a great resource for anyone traveling to Europe who plans to visit any museums.



3. I just used this book in Paris and Rome and do not recommend it. Maybe it is already outdated, I don't know, but it was nearly impossible to follow through the museums. And then if and when I did find the thing he was talking about I didn't care for the flip comments about the artwork. (I know he's trying to be funny, but I would have appreciated some more basic information on things. I found myself trying to read museum cards just to find out how old some of the works were!) Also, it really gave no additional information over what was in the regular Rick Steves travel books but added just one more not particularly helpful book to the luggage.



4. Quick, easy, painless guide to museums in Europe. Forget the drawn out and expensive audio guides. Great book.



5. I travel for art and frankly, this book was a big disappointment. I expected practical tips and got only a few. What I also got, much to my surprise was a dumbed down sister wendy approach to art-now class, look at this part of the statue and think this. This is not insider information, and to suggest that we should look at art with these descriptions in hand is extremely offensive. If you want to enjoy these museums, get the practical details in hand-a section, by the way, which I found amateur hour, and leave this puppy at home.

   I have toured just about all these museums, and these guys miss some outstanding parts of, for example, the British Museum. I grant you that the Louvre is impossible-and if this book helps some people at least get in the door perhaps it has a function. I will say the city walking tours are quite wonderful, but personally, I would never follow this guys tour of the Orsay, except perhaps for directions to the food. This book is an excellent example of fools going where angels fear to tread. You do not need this level of detail to tour the Rodin-it is easily accessible. Use this book if you must have detail to enjoy art (in other words you care who Rodin's last mistress was) but please form your own relationship with the works you see. Most children can do this without a guidebook-for goodness sake give yourself some credit, take a deep breath, and walk in the door, sans guidebook. You do not need a party planner, particularly a second rate party planner, now do you?!

5 comments about The 100 Best Art Towns in America: A Guide to Galleries, Museums, Festivals, Lodging and Dining, Fourth Edition.

1. Subtitled "Discover Creative Communities, Fresh Air, and Affordable living". The author obviously hasn't lived in these communities. Sedona, Nantucket, Carmel CA, Santa Cruz, Martha's Vineyard, Telluride, Key West, Vail, Sun Valley, Santa Fe and Deer Isle? Is he serious? Generally, the more unaffordable the town, the more gallery space there is. The author is most likely not used to living as an artist does.



2. The book has a lot of intersting information and I am looking forward to investigating some of the towns on my own. I wish it was more geographically organized and has a few area maps.



3. This lively guide gives a fine sense of the texture of art locales all over America. As an ardent cultural traveler, I plan to take it with me on the road for future trips. His write-ups of the places he has savored ring true and I look forward using it as a helpful guide to new destinations I plan to visit. Many are locales I had not thought of, but are now on my list. So many guidebooks present the same-old, same-old. It's nice to find one with some character. Happy trails!



4. As a lifelong world traveler (106 countries visited, and all 50 States), I consider myself a connoisseur of guidebooks in various languages, and the fourth edition of John Villani's "The 100 Best Art Towns in America" is one of the finest I've ever seen in the English language. Where others are mere compendiums that in essence are glorified phone books, Mr. Villani's is more in the nature of an artwork, for he has deftly sketched 100 communities in a way that reveals each one's soul. (Yes, communities do have "souls," and those guidebooks that do not recognize this fact are wastes of paper, no matter how fancy they've been produced.) A town's soul is manifested throughout it--in its restaurants, its hotels, its public spaces, its historic sites and annual festivals, all of which Mr. Villani covers very nicely in this edition; but the single clearest sign of any community's soul is its art scene, the realm and arena of its total creative force. Some cities, with sad souls, have high crime rates, but the best cities have high art rates, and John Villani has given us a delightfully usable work of art masquerading as a book that identifies the best 100 of those cities and towns. My sole complaint would be that he didn't pick America's best 200 art towns, or 300! At any rate, for tourists or visitors certainly, and for city planners and promoters who want to find the secret to being a successful art town, and definitely for any and all art-lovers, John Villani's "The 100 Best Art Towns in America" is THE best guidebook you can find.



5. When I travel, I usually need to spend a lot of time reading scores of newspapers, Chamber of Commerce information, and flyers, in order to figure out the highlights and personality of each area. Thanks to "The 100 Best Art Towns in America", the author has distilled this information into an easy-to-read, informative format, which cuts through the advertising and special interest promotional activities, allowing me to experience a more sophisticated vacation.
   
   The book also saves me from wasting time in overly-commercial towns that are usually promoted in most other travel guides. I am a resident of one such overly-commercial town, Sedona, AZ, and am delighted to see that the author has NOT included that town, and therefore, not sold-out to its national efforts to be included in all lists of "Art Towns". This book will steer you clear of timeshare and tommyhawk towns!
   
   Congratulations to John Villani for his helpful guidebook.

No comments about Picasso Line Drawings and Prints (Dover Art Library).