1 comments about Peter Doig: Works on Paper.

1. Doig has been gaining quite a following over the last few years. His art is exploratory and innovative in my mind. More than anything his work is about the mark and texture along with its correspondence to mood and composition. So what this book does so very well is give the viewer a full breadth of his work on paper basically over six or so years.
   
   What I found missing that I would have enjoyed reading was a little biographical information or an interview or a critical article that explored his work in a comprehensive fashion. But I can do without. His work is something that you can go back to again and again and learn something new every time.
   
   If you are looking for a great survey of Doig's work, you wont be disappointed by this.

2 comments about Foto: Modernity in Central Europe, 1918-1945.

1. The previous reviewer does not justice to this beautiful book. It is not only about collage, as it is simplistically described, but about how photography was established as a modern art form. It shows how it was used creatively in Central Europe. There are some wonderful findings of lesser known artists as well as more familiar names, and most of them look incredibly contemporary (young artists and designers, have a look!!).
   The edition is gorgeous, with excellent reproductions, clear typography and elegant layout. Contains a very useful bibliography. Absolutely recommendable.



2. Huge amount of information about every single photographer regardless of major significance.Dig through that, and much interesting stuff. But the fixation on MODERNITY is typical curatorial nonsense. It is about "Collage and its Variations in Central Europe".

No comments about Learning from Museums: Visitor Experiences and the Making of Meaning: Visitor Experiences and the Making of Meaning (American Association for State and Local History Book Series).

2 comments about Color as Field: American Painting, 1950-1975 (American Federation of the Arts).

1. -very good essay, decent reproductions, good selection of Color Field paintings, BUT, the binding is bad. The inner hinge is very poorly designed: thin glossy paper glued to boards over rough cloth tape, which is very visible and ugly. This is one that would be better in paperback.



2. This book represents the catalog for a circulating museum show devoted to the prime movers (Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland, Jules Olitski and Helen Frankenthaler) in the Color Field school of painting, also called "post-painterly abstraction" by Clement Greenberg, in order to differentiate it from the more autographic type of paint handling found in Abstract Expressionism, the style that preceded it. The advocacy of the autocratic and well-hated Greenberg, America's leading art critic of the 20th century, has done much to inhibit proper scholarly and market respect for the style. The essay by Karen Wilkin, an independent art historian with a long-standing interest in the subject, is clear, concise and beautifully illustrated. My major criticism is that the enthusiasm of the author leads her to several dubious conclusions and a general lack of critical and/or comparative thinking: none of the artists have weaknesses, everyone is a good and worthy contributor, in other words, "thank you for sharing". For example, both the exhibition and the essay try to make the case for a number of secondary, even minor or weak artists (e.g. Walter Darby Bannard and Friedl Dzubas) as vital members of the movement. There is also an attempt to include major abstract expressionists like Hans Hofmann, Robert Motherwell, Barnet Newman and Mark Rothko in the group rather than considering them strictly as precursors or major influences on the development of the style. The primacy of Frankenthaler over Louis is also subtly argued for and highly debatable; the invention of a technique (the stained and poured canvas) is not the same as making a dramatic change in the quality and intent of an art form. There is a structural clarity, chromic inventiveness, absence of draughtmanship and coolness in Louis and Noland that is quite distinct from the decorative and tasteful art of Frankenthaler; these features make Color Field painting in their hands a close relation or precursor (as Wilkin points out) to 1960s Minimalism. At the same time, it is very refreshing to see an important writer give some credit, in proper proportion I might add, to Sam Gilliam, an African-American and a Washington artist like Noland and Louis, and to Ronald Davis, a Californian, who is more often remembered, if at all, in relation to the reductive abstraction of Frank Stella. Overall, this is an extremely fine contribution to the field; it covers the widest number of artists and properly situates Color Field painting alongside Minimalism and Pop as one of the major artistic developments of the turbulently productive 1960s.

5 comments about The Amber Room: The Fate of the World's Greatest Lost Treasure.

1. After a good start, the authors get hopefulliy lost in trying to maintain some thread of their investigation with so many tangents and contradictions that it because a real exercise in self-punishment. They come to no concrete conclusions and keep repeating speculations. There is a cast of thousands in this book and many key persons are continually recast as though each retelling or hearsay evidence changes the truth. The truth is hard to see in this work, and you will find yourself skipping over details that only the authors could somehow find fascinating. I think they were paid by the word.



2. On the whole, I enjoyed this book because I am interested in art history, the political history of WWII and the Cold War, and mysteries. I did feel, however, that the the authors could have trusted us to remember people and events a bit more than they did. There was a fair amount of restatement and reintroduction. The speculative conclusion they arrive at seems reasonable. The authors display a keen understanding of human nature and the possible motives leading to the disinformation campaign surrounding the fate of the Amber Room.



3. I loved this book. It is a good example of good research, good journalism and great writing. Must Read for all History Buff.



4. The question titling this review is the one a potential reader needs to ask prior to choosing this book. The story of this astonishing work of art, gifted by Frederick I to Peter the Great, has been the basis for many books both scholarly and purely fictional. While this book is non-fiction it is not one I would recommend to anyone that is unfamiliar with this topic. The room that is the title of this book can be viewed online as it has been reconstructed, and once seen the viewer has a right to expect a written history of this fantastic creation that both approaches the unique beauty of the art itself and the incredible journey the room may have taken.
   
   The mystery/history of the real Amber Room has all the makings of the most remarkable of fictional thrillers, and while the authors present a sturdy, competent narrative, the book never gets very interesting. The prose is dull and does as much of a disservice to the true tale that black and white photographs do to the real Amber Room.
   
   The book also suffers from a constant handicap of; wishing for something just does not make it so, every attempt at breathless suspense reads as labored, contrived and often very predictable. If you have never read about this topic search elsewhere as the subject is fascinating, if you are already a reader of books on this tale again you should look further before adding this to your reading list.



5. I initially read this book because I wanted to find out about the Amber Room and because I had read a reveiw of it that made it sound like an intriguing mystery story. The book is written by journalists and reads that way. It is not a scholarly book, althought the people who wrote it did do a lot of research. While I learned about the Amber Room, what I really learned about was the culture of secrecy that existed and maybe still exists in E. Germany, W. Germany and the USSR. While there were times I wished I didn't have to read another 20 pages only to be told that the writers had reached a dead-end (!!), I began to realize that the main part of their story was the journey they were taking, were the dead ends and the reasons for those dead ends. This is an interesting picture of Russia and Eastern Europe in the 1990's as well as a story about what happened to the Amber Room after WWII.

4 comments about The Official Guide to the Smithsonian.

1. The guide is in excellent condition. And if you can't go to the Smithsonian, this certainly is the second best way to visit.



2. This guide was purchased for a 12 year old who will be visiting the Smithsonian for the first time. I have visited the Smithsonian several times and feel this guide will be very helpful.



3. Really can't say but they were thrilled getting the book.
   Was a Christmas gift so haven't gotten feed back on if it has been read yet. They did love the idea as they are going to spend the summer there and wanted to spend time at the Smithsonian.



4. This book is just what you would expect from the Smithsonian, 224 pages of glossy pictures that leave you wanting more. The _Guide_ starts with about 35 pages of useful information such as how to get around DC and some of the history of the Smithsonian Institution. Then comes a quick survey of the different museums starting with that favorite, the Air and Space Museum, which is the home of the Wright Brothers first flying aircraft. And don't forget the Steven F Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport or you will miss a proto-type space shuttle. After surveying the rest of the Smithsonian museums near the National Mall, the _Guide_ includes a few other attractions in DC such as the National Zoological Park. A few noteworthy mentions in NYC round out the _Guide_.
   
   Of course, you could spend your entire two week vacation at the Smithsonian and never see it all. (Do an online search to see how big it is.) If you use the _Guide_ to plan a trip to DC, one thing I might suggest is that you learn to use the Metro (subway) system. The _Guide_ mentions it, but it is too bad that a map of the Metro system was not included. (Get one online.) If you buy the _Guide_ in order to remember a trip to DC, one thing that will quickly catch your attention is that the National Museum for the American Indian mentioned is the one in NYC. Either way, the _Guide_ is well worth it.

5 comments about Nathan Oliveira (San Jose Museum of Art).

1. I don't think that the overtones of existentialism that resonated over forty years ago hold up today. This is a classy book with the full story from Peter Selz. Peter Selz used to teach art history at the Institiute of Design in 1953 -54. I don't think his interest in expressionism fitted the Moholy Nagy idealogy.The reproductions are ample and good.The late prints interest me more than the painterly figure work. A centralized figure that takes so much importance to his ouvre from those days ,is academic.He is sometimes Giacometti, other times Bacon, his sources don't seem to be resolved. I like his stuff better than Diebenkorn,another academic approach to the figure. My preference is for the Chicago figurative painters. Leon Golub's work still carries power, he saw Iraq prison torture scenes before it happened there.One figure seems easy. Compositions of figures such as Golub carry more weight because there is a message in the interaction of people.His work will hold up not just from a standpoint of subject matter, but form his more original approach to the canvas.For another critique of the San Francisco figure painters see. The Painters Mind: Carl Holty and Romeare Bearden. I am not alone in this judgement. It is a well written ,well illustrated book. Again ,the late prints of Oliviera struck me more than the early work ,as unique work.



2. This book was published for a Nathan Oliveira exhibit at the San Jose (CA) Museum of Art. It portrays the evolution of his painting and many of his most memorable art pieces. This professor emeritus from Stanford University is currently working on a meditation chapel to be built on the campus of that prestigious university.



3. i was disapointed by this book and the presentation of it.



4. plain and simple its a nice book and i like oliveria but i really don't think it was worth the price new- and i have quite a few books on painters.



5. Just the right amount of history and ample full-color depictions of the artist's masterful use of gesture, color and raw expression. This book really showcases Oliveira's amazing versatility and his under-rated virtuosity as a painter. Oliveira's work should be included among the greats of contemporary art--and this book proves it. Wow!

4 comments about Great Collectors of our Time: Art Collecting Since 1945.

1. Excellent, if expensive, volume. The first survey of collectors and collecting since the early 60's. Well illustrated. Mostly on art collecting.



2. Written by a senior staff member of Sotheby's, this book offers an interesting overlook on the collections and personalities of some of the most important art collectors of our time. The text itself is a collection of short pieces on each collector, describing the building and the highlights of their collection (which can be African art, Islamic art, modern paintings, rare books, old masters, contemporary art, etc). You will not find any real scoop here, since, but for a few exceptions, most of the people and collections described are already well-known , but it is still a book that is pleasant to read and full of good-quality illustrations of seldom reproduced works.



3. This is a truly magnificent book, very well written, very complete. The text is scholarly and straight forward, with many answered questions about this club of great collectors. While the events of theirs lifes are vividly told, the text also explains and illuminates each personality through interesting analyses. The author tends to be factual and does not speculate much. If you want to be as much entertained as educated on this great collectors buy this fantastic book. This is no ordinary art book. You will treasure it and be proud to show it to friends. Simply 5 stars!



4. Will be enjoyed by those interested in the most significant collectors of great art since the end of World War II and the role each played in preserving various treasures of the world's culture.
   
   By its nature this is a quick survey work, with short articles on each collector, along with nice photographs of important pieces within their separate collections. Each individual survey spans the time from when and how the collector started; to the collection's ultimate breadth and setting; to how it was eventually dispersed (usually to a museum or two) at death or other final point--unless the collector is still alive and still in possession.
   
   My favorite collector in the book: The Canadian embassy worker in the Soviet Union, Mr. George Costakis.
   
   For those really interested, you can find more detailed books on a number of these collectors, such as "Memories of a Collector" by Giusppe Panza.
   
   James Stourton is a highly informed and interesting art expert, although certainly given to focusing on the positive about each of his selected collectors and their collections.

2 comments about Whose Muse?: Art Museums and the Public Trust.

1. With everything from motorcycles, cars, boats, Jackie O's clothes, Star Wars artifacts, elephant dung and more finding their way into the museum, this is probably a good time to examine just what the museum is and who it is for. Art Institute of Chicago director James Cuno has assembled a veritable who's who of major museum directors to hold forth on this topic. Taken together, the essays provide rare insight into how museums are being shaped in the 20th century. With sometimes surprising candor the directors make their case for how and why the museum is beholden to the public trust. A roundtable discussion at the book's end further amplifies the issues set forth in the essays. This is an important book.



2. This is a compilation of essays written by directors of major art museums: Cuno from the Art Institute of Chicago, De Montebello from the Met, Lowry from the MoMA, MacGregor from the British Museum, Walsh of the Getty in LA, and Wood, formerly of the AIC. Each addresses how museums can cultivate public trust in cultural institutions, the kinds of authority museums have, and how they should manage their responsibilities. MacGregor's essay was my personal favorite; it includes two amazing stories of how art proves to be valued for its emotional power during times of crisis (specifically on 9/11 and during WWII). Walsh offers suggestions as to how museums can offer its visitors a more genuine experience through curatorial choices and placement of lighting and seats. Lowry and De Montebello write about the relationship of the entertainment industry to museums. A very accessible, jargon-free text that is surprisingly interesting.

No comments about Francis Alys: Fabiola: An Investigation (Dia Foundation).