New Art Books / Videos

Compiled by RAYMOND J. STEINER
ART TIMES October 2006

PRESTEL: Cy Twombley: New Sculptures 1998-2005 (Ed.) Reinhold Baumstark and Carla Schulz-Hoffmann. 128 pp.; 9 ½ x 13 ½; 60 Color Illus.; List of Objects; Bibliography. $90.00 Hardcover. Although produced with the same care for quality as all of Prestel’s fine art books, this latest in their series offers little in the way of serious consideration for those interested in viewing meaningful art. Vaunted as “fanciful, witty, and at times sarcastic”, it seems that reviewers are forced into such mental gymnastics as “Out of ‘mundane’ objects such as crates, broomsticks, paper napkins, mashers, stools, string and paper he composes…sculptures…[that retain] their everyday identity and materiality…[which] take on a condition oblivious to time and change…” Perhaps. **
Willem de Kooning: Late Paintings by David Sylvester. 102 pp.; 9 ½ x 13 ½; 24 Color Illus.; Chronology; List of Plates. $65.00 Hardcover. Another handsome book by another artist whose reputation for “conceptual art” has been exaggerated beyond all plausible reason, Late Paintings is published in conjunction with an exhibition that has recently been opened at the Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg. *** 
Egon Schiele by Klaus Albrecht Schröder. 420 pp.; 9 ½ x 11 ½; 341 Color Illus.; Appendices. $65.00 Hardcover. $60.00 Hardcover. A definitive edition published in conjunction with the Albertina, this latest book on Egon Schiele covers his entire oeuvre, from his earliest days at the Vienna Academy until his death in1918. Handsomely produced and lavishly illustrated, author Klaus Albrecht Schröder is Director of the Albertina and has written works on Dürer, Rubens, and Munch. *****
Jennifer Steinkamp by JoAnne Northrup, et al. 192 pp.; 10 ½ x 9; 100 Color Illus. $60.00 Hardcover. Published to coincide with an exhibition at the San Jose Museum of Art, CA, this catalogue offers an extensive overview of digital artist Jennifer Steinkamp’s work. Excellent reproductions. ****  
J&L Lobmeyr: Between Tradition and Innovation: Nineteenth-Century Glassware from the MAK Collection by Ulrike Scholda. 144 pp.; 8 ¼ x 10 ¼; 100 Color Illus.; Appendix. $49.95 Hardcover. Here catalogued for the first time, this beautiful volume presents an overview of the exquisite glassware of the famous J&L Lobmeyr Company, the leading glass producer since 1823 and still operating today. Lavishly illustrated and extensively annotated, the pieces — from Bohemian crystal to etched and painted glass — are described in detail. A wonderful reference work. ****
Picasso: Erotic Sketchbook by Norbert Wolf. 64 pp.; 6 ½ x 8 ¾; 35 Color Illus.; List of Illustrated Works. $25.00 Hardcover. The latest installment in Prestel’s “Erotic Sketchbook” Series, Picasso offers up a delightful pot-pourri of the artist’s provocative sketches. A delight — as are all the others in the series. *****

JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC.: A Global History of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching, et al. 816 pp.; 8 ¾ x 11 ¼; Over 2000 B/W & Color Illus,; Glossary; Bibliography; Index. $75.00 Hardcover. As indicated by its title, this book offers an extensive overview of the world’s architecture. The first such compendium to be written with a global view, the authors organize their subject on a strictly historical rather than national or regional approach. Scholarly and comprehensive. *****

YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS: In the Studios of Paris: William Bouguereau and His American Students by James F. Peck. 211 pp.; 9 3/8 x 12 ¼; 86 Color Illus.; Catalogue of the Exhibition; American Students of William Bouguereau; Index. $50.00 Hardcover. The accompanying catalogue to a traveling exhibit currently at The Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, OK,, In the Studios of Paris offers up the first comprehensive overview of the Bouguereau’s studio and American students. Beautifully illustrated, the book includes the work of such artists as Cecelia Beaux, Robert Henri, Winslow Homer, and Simon Harmon Vedder. *****
Lee Lozano: Drawings (Ed.) Barry Rosen, et al. 194 pp.; 9 3/8 x11 58; 180 Illus., 60 in Color. $50.00 Hardcover. A selection of previously unpublished drawings by the artist, Lee Lozano: Drawings seems far below the usual high quality of  artists that Yale’s fine art books ordinarily publicize. It’s not difficult to see why this work has lain unpublished for so long. *
Rebels and Martyrs: The Image of the Artist in the Nineteenth Century by Alexander Sturgis, et al. 192 pp.; 8 ½ x 10; 85 Color Illus.; Chronology; Bibliography; Index. $45.00 Softcover. Published as the accompanying catalogue to a recent exhibit at the National Gallery, London, Rebels and Martyrs takes a close look at the Romantic concept of the “suffering” artist. Includes the work of such artists as Delacroix, van Gogh, Schiele, as well as such groups as the Nazarenes, the Nabis. ****
Compression vs. Expression: Containing and Explaining the World’s Art (Ed.) John Onians. 255 pp.; 7 x 9 ½; 40 B/W Illus.; Brief Natural History of Art; List of Contributors. $24.95 Softcover. A host of scholars discuss art, not as a separate cultural and ethnic subject, but rather as a worldwide phenomenon. Part of a continuing series of conferences hosted by the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Engaging and provocative. *****

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON PRESS: Masters of Light: Selections of American Impressionism from the Manoogian Collection by Jennifer A. Bailey, et al. 136 pp.; 10 x 12; 47 Color Illus.; Notes; Bibliography. $35.00 Softcover. Published in conjunction with a recent exhibition at the Vero Beach Museum of Art, FL, Masters of Light presents some of the works of such American Impressionists as John Singer Sargent, William Merritt Chase, Childe Hassam, Thomas Wilmer Dewing, Mary Cassatt, Julian Alden Weir, and many others. Beautifully illustrated. ****
Mexican Masters: Rivera, Orozco, and Siqueiros, Selection from the Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil (Ed.) Hardy S. George. 122 pp.; 9 x 12; 61 Illus., 43 in Color; Bibliography. $35.00 Softcover. Tempests and Romantic Visionaries: Images of Storms in European and American Art by Hardy S. George, et al. 136 pp.; 9 x 12; 100 Illus., 66 in Color; Bibliography. $35.00 Softcover. Both Mexican Masters and Tempests and Romantic Visionaries were published as accompanying catalogues to recent exhibition held ad the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Both are lavishly illustrated and offer the reader scholarly essays on their respective subjects. ****
Tempests and Romantic Visionaries: Images of Storms in European and American Art by Hardy S. George, et al. 136 pp.; 9 x 12; 100 Illus., 66 in Color; Bibliography. $35.00 Softcover. Both Mexican Masters and Tempests and Romantic Visionaries were published as accompanying catalogues to recent exhibition held ad the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Both are lavishly illustrated and offer the reader scholarly essays on their respective subjects. ****
Transmission: The Art of Matta and Gordon Matta-Clark (Ed.) Betty-Sue Hertz. 112 pp.; 10 x 12; 70 Color Illus.; Exhibition Checklist; Artists’ Biographies; Selected Bibliography. $27.50 Softcover. A father-son presentation, Transmission was published in conjunction with an exhibition at the San Diego Museum of Art (thru Nov.) More entertaining than aesthetically pleasing. **

INTERLINK PUBLISHING: Prague: The Essential Guide to Viewing Art in Prague by Deanna MacDonald.  312 pp.; 5 x 7 ¾; Color Illus.; Maps; Appendices; Index. $20.00 Softcover. With accompanying maps and “art trail” chapters that concentrate on certain portions of the city, Prague is a handy-sized guide that I wish I had had on my visit to that city a few years ago. Full of information as to where to go and what to see in the “city of spires”. Excellent.*****

Compiled by Raymond J. Steiner

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