Raymond Steiner Editor * Cornelia Seckel Publisher

(845) 246-6944 · info@ArtTimesJournal.com

Read more Reviews

Art Times HomePage

New Art Books / Videos

Compiled by RAYMOND J. STEINER
ART TIMES January/ February 2009

YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS: The History of British Art, Volumes 1, 2, and 3 (Ed.) by David Bindman. 800 pp.; 9 3/4; x 12; 458 Color Illus.; Notes; Bibliography; Timeline; Maps; Glossary; Further Reading; Index. $150.00 Hardcover. Available as a slipcased set or as separate units at $50.00 per volume (600—1600; 1600—1870; 1870—Now), The History of British Art cover its entire range, from early Saxon times to the present. Lavishly produced and illustrated, this set will long stand as the definitive overview of British art. Scholarly and comprehensive, it is a valuable resource for both experts and enthusiasts. *****
Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Flemish Painting by Natalya Gritsay and Natalya Babina. 520 pp.; 10 1/4; x 12 ¼; 600 Illus., 400 in Color; Appendix; Index of Subjects; Index of Painters; Index of Literary Sources; Concordance. $150.00 Hardcover. Assuredly a rare treat for most viewers, Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Flemish Painting serves up the work of some 140 Flemish artists represented in the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. This official Hermitage Museum Catalogue includes illustrations, commentary, and provenance information supplied by the curators of Flemish Paintings at the Museum. Excellent reproductions. *****
Beyond Babylon: Art, Trade, and Diplomacy in the Second Millennium, B.C. by Joan Aruz, et al. 548 pp.; 9 x 12; 460 Illus., 410 in Color; Appendices; Map; Chronology; Index. $75.00 Hardcover. Published in conjunction with an exhibition currently at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (thru Mar 15, ’09), Beyond Babylon is an exhaustive study that brings to light the rich cultural heritage shared by ancient Asian civilizations. A major scholarly presentation that belongs in educational institutions across the U.S.  Impressive. *****  
G.F. Watts: Victorian Visionary by Mark Bills and Barbara Bryant. 324 pp.; 9 3/4; x 11 3/8; 220 Color Illus.; Bibliography; Index. $75.00 Hardcover. With his seductively enchanting vision, it is easy to see why George Frederic Watts, the subject of this lavishly illustrated volume celebrating his life and work, was hailed as a “genius” during his life as a painter of portraits and landscape, as a sculptor, and, near the end of his seventy-year career, as a symbolist. Handsomely produced. *****
William Morris & Edward Burne-Jones: Interlacings by Caroline Arscott. 260 pp.; 9 3/8 x 11 3/8; 122 B/W & Color Illus.; Notes; Bibliography; Index. $75.00 Hardcover. The latest release in the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art Series, this beautifully-illustrated book explores the relationship between the art and design of Burne-Jones and Morris (respectively) insofar as their life-long friendship influenced their individual aesthetic visions. Engrossing. ****
The Art of Illumination: The Limbourg Brothers and the “Belles Heures” of Jean de France, Duc de Berry by Timothy B. Husband. 388 pp.; 9 1/2; x 11 1/2;; 378 Color Illus.; Appendices; Time Line; Bibliography; Index. $65.00 Hardcover. This gorgeously illustrated catalogue accompanies an exhibition currently at the J.Paul Getty Museum (thru Feb 8, ’09), which will then travel to The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Sep 22, ’09 — Jan 3, ’10), and features the exquisitely-rendered illustrations of the Limbourg brothers commissioned by the Duc de Berry. A beautiful addition to any library! *****
Art and Love in Renaissance Italy by Andrea Bayer. 392 pp.; 9 x 12; 375 Illus., 300 in Color; Bibliography; Index. $65.00 Hardcover. Dedicated to Philippe de Montebello and published as the accompanying catalogue to an exhibition currently at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (thru Feb 16, ’09) which will then travel to the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, (Mar 15—Jun 14, ’09), Art and Love in Renaissance Italy is a lovely presentation of art and artifacts dedicated to 15th-century traditions of love and art. A beautiful work. *****
William Eggleston: Democratic Camera—Photographs and Video, 1961—2008 by Elisabeth Sussman, et al. 320 pp.; 9 7/8 x 11 1/2;; 240 Illus., 227 in Color; Chronology; Works in the Exhibition; Selected Bibliography; Index. $65.00 Hardcover. Published as the accompanying catalogue to a retrospective exhibition of Eggleston’s work presently at the Whitney Museum of American Art (thru Jan 25, ’09), which will then travel to the Haus der Kunst (Munich), this volume offers a fifty-year overview of his work. Handsomely produced and lavishly illustrated. *****
Why Photography Matters as Art as Never Before >by Michael Fried. 320 pp.; 8 5/8 x 11 1/8; 160 Illus., 70 in Color; Notes; Index. $55.00 Hardcover. Already celebrated for his stand on minimalist art, in this new book critic Michael Fried argues for final acceptance of photography as a bona fide work of ‘art’. Whatever your personal belief on the subject, Fried presents a formidable and comprehensive argument. ****

HARRY N. ABRAMS/ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS: Behind the Mirror: Aimé Maeght and His Artists: Bonnard, Matisse, Miró, Calder, Giacometti, Braque >by Nicholas Watkins. 174 pp.; 8 7/8 x 11 5/8; B/W & Color Illus.; Endnotes; Bibliography; Artists’ Books Published by the Maeght Family 1946-1981; List of Works in the Exhibition; Index. $65.00 Hardcover. Published in conjunction with an exhibition currently at the Royal Academy of Arts (thru Jan 2, ’09), Behind the Mirror showcases some of the key figures represented by the famous Galerie Maeght in Paris. Excellent reproductions. ****

 

AMON CARTER MUSEUM: The 100 Best Illustrated Letters of Charles M. Russell by Brian W. Dippie. 216 pp.; 9 3/8 x 11 1/4;; Color Illus.; List of Letters. $50.00 Hardcover. As much American History as an artbook, The 100 Best Illustrated Letters of Charles M. Russell is a treasure trove of humor, wisdom and just plain good drawing. If you like the work of Russell, I guarantee that this delightful book will keep you absorbed for hours. *****

 

FURTHER BOOKS RECEIVED:

YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS: Revisiting the Glass House: Contemporary Art and Modern Architecture (Eds.) Jessica Hough and Monica Ramirez-Montagut. 144 pp.; 8 1/4; x 10 1/2;; 100 Illus., 89 in Color; List of Plates; Index. $39.95 Softcover. Published in conjunction with The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum and Mills College Art Museum, Revisiting the Glass House explores the collaboration between artist and architect. Includes the work of some 21 artists. ***
Francis Bacon: Studies for a Portrait
by Michael Peppiatt. 208 pp.; 6 3/8 x 9 1/2;; 35 B/W Illus.; Chronology; Index. $35.00 Hardcover. Hailed as Francis Bacon’s ‘Boswell’, author Michael Peppiatt is renowned as the leading ‘authority’ on both the artist and his life. Studies for a Portrait includes interviews and essays that cover some forty years of their relationship. ***
What is Research in the Visual Arts? Obsession, Archive, Encounter
(Eds.) Michael Ann Holly and Marquard Smith. 246 pp.; 7 x 9 1/2;; 61 B/W Illus.; List of Contributors. $24.95 Softcover. The latest release in the Clark Studies in Visual Arts, What is Research in the Visual Arts offers some thirteen scholarly essays which explore both practical and philosophical considerations that lie at the heart of the discipline. Comprehensive. ****

 

PRESTEL: Jörg Immendorf by Tayfun Belgin. 128 pp.; 9 1/2; x 11 3/4;; 100 Color Illus.; Biography; Exhibitions; Bibliography; List of Works. $55.00 Hardcover. Jonathan Meese: Fräulein Atlantis by Karlheinz Essl, Jr. and Robert Fleck. 184 pp.; 9 1/2; x 11 3/4;; 146 Color Illus.; Biography; Bibliography; List of Works. $65.00 Hardcover.

 

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS: Dreambook by Mark di Suvero. 288 pp.; 9 3/4; x 11 1/4; 209 Illus., 169 in Color; Appendices. $49.95 Hardcover.

Asian/American/Modern Art: Shifting Currents, 1900-1970 (Eds.) Daniell Cornell and Mark Dean Johnson. 176 pp.; 9 1/2; x 11; 107 Illus., 95 in Color; Bibliography; Index. $45.00 Hardcover.

 

PHAIDON PRESS, INC.: Marina Abramovic by Kristine Stiles, et al. 160 pp.; 9 7/8 x 11 3/8; 160 Illus., 110 in Color; Chronology; Selected Exhibitions; Bibliography. $49.95 Softcover.

 

ISBS/MUSEUM TUSCULANUM PRESS: Performance Design (Eds.) Dorita Hannah and Olav Harslof. 336 pp.; 8 1/4; x 8 5/8; B/W & Color Illus.; Bibliography. $60.00 Softcover.

 

NEWVILLAGE PRESS: Art and Upheaval: Artists on the World’s Frontlines by William Cleveland. 352 pp.; 7 x 9 1/4;; 100 B/W Illus.; Notes; Index. $20.01 Softcover.

 

F&W PUBLICATIONS INC.: An Illustrated Life: Drawing Inspiration from the Private Sketchbooks of Artists, Illustrators and Designers by Danny Gregory. 272 pp.; 10 x 8; 200 Color Illus.; Index. $19.99 Softcover.