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.