1 comments about Enamelized.

1. As a graffiti lover, I LOVE this book--great pictures of amazing tags in beautiful color. Anyone brought up in a big city and familair with graffiti will enjoy this book.

No comments about The Art of Ceramics: European Ceramic Design 1500-1830 (Bard Graduate Centre for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design & Culture).

2 comments about Porcelain Repair and Restoration.

1. A very good and complete book covering everything for the restorer of ceramics. Would've given 4 and a half stars if possible. The half a star off is because I still had unanswered questions after reading the book and because there is some professional mumbo jumbo in there I don't understand.
   
   But on the whole, just a good book.



2. Good book, but doesn't have information about non-toxic restoration products. Healthy repair products are a serious concern. You can find the non-toxic products at www.antqrx.com or call (515) 832-2437.

No comments about Christo and Jeanne-Claude: A Biography.

1 comments about Taking Tea with Clarice Cliff: A Celebration of Her Art Deco Teaware.

1. As a collector of Clarice Cliff, I read almost anything relating to her. Clarice was way ahead of her time. She was an uneducated British girl in the 1920's who through hard work and brilliant ideas became a pioneer in art deco ceramics. Leonard Griffin is a master scholar of Clarice and this book was another one of his carefully reviewed study of her work.
   Identifying her teaware as a celebration is absolutely true. Almost 80 years later, her work is more collectible than ever and it is fascinating to read how she evolved her designs and manufacturing ideas into the most beautiful teaware.

1 comments about Anasazi Pottery.

1. I live in Arizona and there are old indian dwellings on my property. There is a lot of pottery pieces everywhere. I bought this book in hope of identifying what they were but the book although good, is only from specific digs and it is in black and white which makes it very hard to match my pottery pieces to the book. It is a good book if you are interested in reading about Anasazi pottery in general but not good for reference purposes.

No comments about Human Nature: (Dub Version).

No comments about Boston Terrier Collectibles (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

No comments about 9 Evenings Reconsidered.

2 comments about Plop: Recent Projects of the Public Art Fund.

1. "Plop" is an extensive, if not truly comprehensive, look at the New York City-based Public Art Fund's recent projects of public contemporary art in media ranging from light to performance. It includes memorable work by distinguished artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Jeff Koons (his famous flower puppy at Rockefeller Center), Mariko Mori (Her UFO spaceship "docked" indoors in the Madison Avenue building adjacent to 5th Avenue's Trump Tower.), Takashi Murakami (An assemblage of aliens depicted on balloon sculptures in Rockefeller Center with its roots in Japanese anime and probably William Gibson's cyberpunk fiction too.), and Nam June Paik (a dazzling laser light show and sculpture at Rockefeller Center). It also includes work by up-and-coming conceptual/performance artist and sculptor Anissa Mack, whose "Pies for a Passerby", a kitschy Americana performance piece, received some curious national and international attention two years ago (An astute blog columnist wrote a well-reasoned essay back then arguing that this work was not art; I believe it is still posted on the internet.). Notably absent is the sculpture installation by the late George Segal, the distinguished sculptor noted for his realistic papier mache sculptures of ordinary people doing ordinary things - and I might add, a fellow alumnus of Stuyvesant High School - exhibited late last year near Central Park's Grand Army Plaza (southeast corner of the park, across the street from the Hotel Pierre). While the Public Art Fund's aims are truly admirable, much of its work on display tends to be too whimsical (e. g. work by Koons, Mack and Mori, to name but a few). As such it lacks the gravitas I've seen in excellent work by such prominent Tucson, Arizona artists as painters Robert Colescott, James G. Davis, Alfred Quiroz and Jim Waid, photographers Harold Jones, Joe Labate and Frances Murray and last, but not least, performance artist, sculptor and poet Ned Schaper (aka Mat Bevel).



2. If someone told you that there was an exhibition of plop art at your local museum, would you rush over to see it? Probably not. But, you should because plop art is some of the most exciting, innovative art to be found.

   The name "plop art," which is sometimes used in a pejorative manner, refers to public art that is not considered to have any relation to its surroundings. In other words, it's "plopped" there. What a wonderful surprise that can be! Have you seen Jeff Koon's huge puppy made of flowering plants in Rockefeller Center? You can't help but smile.

   For a quarter of a century buildings, plazas, parks, and streets in New York City have been the recipients of amazing art installations, all thanks to the Public Art Fund, an organization that enthusiastically supports contemporary art.

   "Plop: Recent Projects of the Public Art Fund" presents projects by 45 internationally acclaimed artists whose works now decorate New York City. Among the artists included are Vito Acconci, Louise Bourgeois, Martin Creed, Dan Graham, Kim Sooja, Jeff Koons, Mariko Mori, Takashi Murakami, Paul Pfeiffer, Brian Tolle, and many more.

   A discussion of the pros and cons involved in making contemporary art for the public is also found in this 256 page volume boasting 500 illustrations.

   - Gail Cooke