New Art Books / Videos
Compiled By RAYMOND
J. STEINER
ART TIMES
May, 2005
YALE
UNIVERSITY PRESS: Jacques-Louis David: Empire to Exile by Philippe Bordes. 400 pp.; 9 3/8 x 12 3/8; 175
Illus., 80 in Color; Notes; Bibliography; Index. $75.00 Hardcover. Published to coincide with the first major exhibition of the artist’s
work in the U.S. and organized jointly by the J. Paul Getty Museum and the
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute (at the Clark Jun 5 — Sep
5), Empire to Exile concentrates on David’s later work. Including
both paintings and drawings, the book examines the work as it evolved in
light of the political change that occurred in post-revolutionary France.
A beautiful book and a significant contribution to our understanding of
David’s place in art history. *****
The Art of Frederick Sommer: Photography, Drawings, Collage by Keith
F. Davis, et al. 240 pp.; 11 1/4 x 12 3/4; 213 Illus., 52 in Color; Plate
List; Chronology; Index. $65.00 Hardcover. Published on the centenary
of the artist, The Art of Frederick Sommers is a sumptuous affair,
the volume (the only to be published on the artist in 2005), a collection
of his somewhat disturbing, always unexpected, beautifully realized works,
including extensive commentary by the authors as well as enigmatic snippets
from the artist himself. A stunning book. ***** .
Drawn from Nature: The Print Lithographs of Ellsworth Kelly by Richard
H. Axsom. 112 pp.; 10 3/8 x 14 1/8; 89 Illus., 64 in Color; Plates; Checklist;
Selected Bibliography. $35.00 Hardcover. This handsomely produced book serves as the catalogue for a
traveling exhibition of the same name presently at the Grand Rapids Art
Museum (thru May 15) and which will travel thence to the Hood Museum of
Art, NH (Jun 12-Aug 14), the Tate Gallery St Ives, England (Jan 27-May 7,
’06), The AXA Gallery, NYC (Jun 7-Aug 14), and close at the Centro
Andaluz de Arte Contemporaneo, Seville, Spain (Sep 21-Jan 14, ’07).
Simple line drawings of Ellsworth’s plant lithographs are enhanced
by Axsom’s essay on the “act of drawing.” Excellent. ****
The American Country House by Clive Aslet. 320 pp.; 7 3/4 x 10; 275
Illus., 200 in Color; Notes; Index. $35.00 Softcover. A paperback reprint
of an edition that appeared in 1990, The American Country House is
a delightful romp through the beautiful, the exotic, the absurd, and the
charming, all as exemplified in the eclecticism of “New World”
fancy and money. *****
The Unicorn Tapestries at The Metropolitan Museum of Art by Adolfo Salvatore
Cavallo. 128 pp.; 9 x 12; 91 Illus., 77 in Color; Appendices; Suggestions
for Further Reading. $19.95 Softcover. A paperback reprint of Yale’s
original release in 1998, The Unicorn Tapestries is a beautifully
illustrated reproduction of one of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s
(and the world’s) treasures. A handsome addition to your library at
a very modest price. *****
EXPOSURES
GALLERY PRESS: Hudson to Delaware: The Great Valley by Nick Zungoli
(w/Foreword by JoAnn and Paul Dolan. 144 pp.; 11 1/4 x 9 7/8; 141 Color
Photographs; Acknowledgments; Technical Information. $75.00 Slipcased Hardcover.
Gorgeously produced and lavishly illustrated, The Great Valley is one of the most beautiful books to come across my desk in some time.
Inspired by the same picturesque scenery that enchanted the painters of
the Hudson River School, Nick Zungoli, a self-taught artist, turns his inquiring
lens on the breathtaking beauty of the Hudson Valley Region from the “Hudson
to the Delaware” rivers. Internationally recognized as a first-class
landscape photographer, this, his first book, celebrates his enormous talent.
A delight for the armchair traveler. *****
UNIVERSITY
OF WASHINGTON PRESS: Time and Transformation in Seventeenth-Century Dutch
Art by Susan Donahue Kuretsky, et al. 299 pp.; 9 1/2 x 11 1/4; B/W
& Color Illus.; Bibliography; List of Artists. $60.00 Softcover. Handsomely
produced, Time and Transformation is the accompanying catalogue for
a traveling exhibition presently at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center,
Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY (See Art Review this issue for further
details). Includes the work of some sixty Dutch masters and several essays
on the phenomena of “time” and “transformation”
as they relate to Dutch art. Excellent. *****
Sean Scully: Body of Light by Brian P. Kennedy, et al. 216 pp.; 9
x 9; 165 Color Illus.; Biography; Bibliography. $60.00 Hardcover. Published
to coincide with an exhibition held last year at the National Gallery of
Australia, Body of Light presents an overview of the life and art
of Irish-born Sean Scully. Handsomely produced. ***
Tom Patti: Illuminating the Invisible by William Warmus and Donald Kuspit.
128 pp.; 9 x 10; 100 Color Illus.; Plates; Chronology. $45.00 Hardcover.
Warmus and Kuspit offer commentary and insights into the glass sculpture
of Tom Patti. Arresting images. ****
Giovanni Bellini and the Art of Devotion (Ed.) Ronda Kasl. 184
pp.; 8 1/2 x 11; 131 Illus., 61 in Color; Bibliography. $40.00 Softcover.
Containing several essays by scholars in the field and excellent reproductions,
this volume serves to both highlight and analyze the holdings of old master
art in the Clowes Collection of the Indianapolis Museum of Art. A significant
achievement. *****
Voices for Tolerance in an Age of Persecution (Ed.) Vincent P. Carey, et al. 236 pp.; 4 1/2 x 12; 35 B/W Illus.; Checklist/Catalogue
of the Exhibition. $40.00 Softcover. The accompanying volume to an exhibition at The Folder
Shakespeare Library, Voices for Tolerance is more than the usual
fare of exhibition catalogues, including along with its reproductions a
series of studies on intolerance that range over many cultures and faiths.
A serious and scholarly presentation. ****
Bill Traylor, William Edmondson, and the Modernist Impulse (Eds.)
Josef Helfenstein and Roxanne Stanulis. 208 pp.; 8 1/2 x 10; 124 Illus.,
75 in Color; Bibliography; List of Works. $40.00 Softcover. The accompanying
catalogue for an exhibit that opened at the Krannert Art Museum at the University
of Illinois, and is now presently at the Studio Museum in Harlem (thru Jun
26), this book offers an overview of two African American artists, painter
Bill Traynor and sculptor William Edmondson. Excellent reproductions. ***
Beauford Delaney: From New York to Paris by Patricia Sue Canterbury.
144 pp.; 9 1/2 x 11 1/2; 98 Illus., 89 in Color; Notes; Bibliography;
Index. $35.00 Softcover. The accompanying catalogue for an exhibition
recently mounted at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, From New to Paris
offers an overview of the modernist work of Beauford Delaney, a gay
and black artist in New York’s Greenwich Village during the ‘30s.
Covers Delaney’s artistic sojourns in both New York (1940-52) and
Paris (1953-68). ****
Childe Hassam: Impressionist in the West by Margaret Bullock. 112
pp.; 10 x 12; 79 Illus., 71 in Color; Checklist. $29.95 Hardcover. The
accompanying catalogue to an exhibition recently mounted at the Portland
Art Museum in Oregon, Impressionist in the West offers some 50 works
executed by Hassam during his trips west in 1904 an ’08. Excellent
reproductions. ****
Made in Japan: The Postwar Creative Print Movement by Alicia Volk and
Helen Nagata. 124 pp.; 8 1/2 x 10; 100 Illus., 85 in Color; Artist’s
Biographies; Selected Bibliography. $28.95 Softcover. Published in conjunction
with an exhibition of the same name at the Milwaukee Art Museum (thru Aug
9), Made in Japan explores the interaction of artistic dialogue that
occurred between the U.S. and Japan after World War II. Includes almost
the whole gamut of print-work. ****
Benjamin West: Allegory and Allegiance by Derrick R. Cartwright. 56
pp.; 8 1/2 x 10 1/2; 37 Illus., 14 in Color; Notes; Catalogue of the Exhibition.
$19.95 Softcover. Published to coincide with an exhibition of the same name
that was recently mounted at the Timken Museum of Art in San Diego, CA,
Allegory and Allegiance features eleven major historical works of
Benjamin West. **
THAMES
& HUDSON INC.: In Camera—Francis Bacon: Film, Photography, and
the Practice of Painting by Martin Harrison. 256 pp.; 9 3/8 x 11
1/2; 275 Illus., 200 in Color; Notes; Further Reading; List of Illustrations;
Index. $60.00 Hardcover. Martin Harrison, Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries,
re-assesses the work of Francis Bacon through the lens of mass media, film,
and photography in light of their influence on many of his major works.
New insights and assessments form a major part of this new study. Groundbreaking.
****
PRESTEL:
I, Raphael by Dagmar Feghelm. 158 pp.; 9 7/8 x 12 7/8; Color Illus.;
Biography and Works; List of Illustrations; Selected Bibliography; Index.
$59.00 Hardcover. The third in Prestel’s series (I, Michelangelo
and I, Goya) I Raphael continues in
the same tradition of beautifully-produced art books, each offering an overview
of the life and work of the artist. Slip-cased, these volumes withy their
excellent reproductions, will enhance any art library. *****.
Hieronymus
Bosch: Garden of Earthly Delights by Hans Belting. 122 pp.; 7 3/4
x 9 5/8; B/W & Color Illus.; Bibliography. $19.95 Softcover. Author
Hans Belting, through his text and the selective use of close-up details,
takes the reader on a journey into the deep recesses of Bosch’s fertile
and enigmatic imagination. Very readable. *****
RUDER
FINN PRESS: Zabriskie: Fifty Years by Pat Adams, et al. 208 pp.;
8 1/4 x 11 1/4; 400 Illus., 200 in Color. $50.00 Hardcover. A compendium
of observations and accolades by a host of artworld notables, Zabriskie:
Fifty Years, as its title suggests, celebrates that half-century of
one gallery’s being on the “leading edge” in the art business.
***
UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA PRESS: Robert Bechtle: A Retrospective by Janet Bishop, et al. 208 pp.; 9 3/4 x 11 1/4; 120 Illus., 110 in
Color; Chronology; Exhibition History; Selected Bibliography; Catalogue
of the Exhibition. $45.00 Hardcover. Lavishly produced and illustrated, this exhibition catalogue
(at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (thru June 5) presents an overview
of the entire range of Bechtle’s work. Robert Bechtle: A Retrospective
offers series of essays that explore and assess the significance and
influences of one of America’s founders and practitioners of what
has come to be known as “photorealism.” A definitive work. *****
PRINCETON
UNIVERSITY PRESS: Surrealism: Desire Unbound by Jennifer Mundy. 352
pp.; 9 3/4 x 10 7/8; 300 Color Illus.; Notes; List of Works; Index. $39.95
Softcover. An analytical look at a side of the Surrealist Movement that,
until now, has had little serious attention, Desire Unbound explores the theme of desire that almost universally informs the bulk
of surrealist art. A major study and a compelling read that includes a discussion
of photographs, films and manuscripts along with the art of most of the
major figures of the movement. *****
POMEGRANATE:
Keith Morrison by Renée Ater. 128 pp.; 8 1/2 x 11; Over 60
B/W and Color Illus.; Chronology; Index. $35.00 Hardcover. The fifth
in Pomegranate’s “The David C. Driskell Series of African American
Art, Keith Morrison features the life and work of the Jamaica-born
artist, covering a range of his work from the 1960s and on up through 2004.
***
DK
PUBLISHING: Sketchbook for the Artist by Dr. Sarah Simblet. 264 pp.;
9 1/4 x 11 1/4; B/W & Color Illus.; Glossary; Index. $30.00 Hardcover.
From abstract to representational, from bug to monster; from flower
to seashell, from figure to fantasy, Dr. Simblet, teacher at the Ruskin
School of Drawing and Fine Art and author of Anatomy for the Artist,
serves up a wealth of ideas, suggestions, tips, guidance, and direction
on the wonderful world of drawing. Covers a wide variety of subjects and
the whole range of mediums. A bargain at such a modest price! *****
PHAIDON
PRESS: J.W. Waterhouse by Peter Trippi. 240 pp.; 9 7/8 by 11 3/8;
220 Illus., 200 in Color; Notes; Bibliography; Index. $29.95 Softcover.
Among one of the most accomplished — and popular — artists
of Victorian England, J.W. Waterhouse is here explored and re-assessed by,
Peter Trippi, one of the leading scholars of the period. Lavishly illustrated,
J.W. Waterhouse is a feast for the eyes and a challenge to those
who feel the art of the Victorian period passé. A beautiful addition
to the library of all those who cherish beauty in their art. *****
UNIVERSITY
OF MINNESOTA PRESS: Earth Mapping: Artists Reshaping Landscape by Edward
S. Casey. 256 pp.; 7 x 10; 63 Illus., 32 in Color; Notes; Index. $27.95
Softcover. A philosophical look into the relationship between humankind, art, and
nature, Earth Mapping explores
the influence of and on each by glancing back at early map-making and analyzing
the recent crop of “earth” artists and abstract painters. ***
CONTINUUM:
The Politics of Aesthetics: The Distribution of the Sensible by Jacques
Rancière. 116 pp.; 5 1/2 x 7 3/4; Appendices; Notes; Index. $19.95
Hardcover. This treatise explores the relationship between aesthetics
and politics, attempting in the study a rethinking and a defining of aesthetics
as isolated from not only politics but also from the greater culture in
which it exists. Covers a range from the ancient Greek polis to modern times
and concepts. Challenging. ****
ALLWORTH
PRESS: Fine Art Publicity by Susan Abbott. 192 pp.; 6 x 9; B/W Illus.,
Forms; Appendices; Index. $19.95 Softcover. Allworth Press’s latest
contribution to the world of the working artist, Fine Art Publicity takes
you through the steps towards success. Abbott, a public relations consultant,
has long been the business of promoting art as a commodity. ***