Great supplement to the exhibition
935922
Read this catalog before and after you see this great exhibition.  Hats off to the authors and the Hishhorn
1413129
I've been reading this book and enjoying the amazing photography. The amount of information, both written and visual, as well as the size of the book make it a great addition to any library. The 4 areas covered are actually 4 seperate previous publications combined into one, and they are extremely informative. I'd recommend this to anyone who appreciates art, architecture and the culture of a country with a long and varied history.

For what it's worth, there's a book called The Best of France: Paris, Brittany, Castles of loire and Provence, by the same publishers, which is comparible to this one in quality and quantity.
530319
I was fortunate to actually visit this exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum just after it's opening a few weeks ago.....which was a very unique and stimulating experience. I collect art catalogues (Basquiat catalogues are of particular interest), so I had to have this one as well. Let me begin with a word of caution regarding this fascinating volume....if you are unfamiliar with Basquiat, this  is NOT a good introduction to his work by any stretch of the imagination. ( The Shafrazi gallery has an excellent catalogue of Basquiat pieces if this is your purpose). Both the exhibition and this catalogue have VERY few finished pieces as the focus is nearly entirely on an unbound set of composition books filled with the poetry, musings, rants, notes and doodles/sketches of Jean - Michel's everyday life. For people familiar with the work and legacy of this prolific artist, these pages are a rare treat to behold. You can see his creative process through these pages: razor sharp wit, stream - of - consciousness type word associations, and incredible insight. I felt ( as did some of the other people visiting the exhibit that day) that these pages took my appreciation of Basquiat to a new level. This catalogue represents the exhibit well and adds an additional layer of depth via essay and commentary. The layout is good and the book flows well. It is a great and unique addition to my collection and I highly recommend it.
2822329
The book arrived swiftly and in good condition. I was entranced. There is so much information in one place about a period in history and culture in which I am personally interested. All the information relates to the once-in-a-lifetime exhibit from the museum in Berlin. I hope to see the exhibit, but if I don't get to do that, this book will help calm my disappointment.
975466
surely showing some of the greatest living artists in their fields. recommanded for galleries, art lovers, etc.. Good for exploring established and new artists from all around the world. good job by the curator and good quality print, also nice as a high quality present.
1886197
This is a large book full of pictures of beautiful artworks.  While there are some photos of sculpture and some of drawings, the bulk of what is reproduced here is painting.  While many pages have multiple artworks, there are also quite a few where the painting is given a full page for more close observation and study.

The quality of the reproductions is quite good, if not quite superb.  The captions and text describing the art and artists are very good and most helpful for the general reader.  The book opens with several articles on the National Gallery and its history and policies.

The plates are organized chronologically and by the national schools of their times.  The earliest artworks are circa the 13th century and concludes with works of the 20th century.

You could spend many days enjoying this glorious selection of art and still find many more days of study before you exhaust all that is offered in this fine book about a great national treasure.
433463
This is really money well spent if you are interested in the topic; there's a original sized picture of each work together with a brief description.
4748162
Whatever the numerous criticisms on this current show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC (the almost total absence of Cubist works, a depression-time exhibit with no loans from other museums, a diminutive collection when compared to the unsurpassed holdings of nearby MOMA...) this is a beautiful exhibition and the book that accompanies it is up to the Met's high standards of quality.

About 300 works, the entire Picasso collection of the museum (a good part of it drawings and prints), are studied here, with a strong emphasis on pre-cubist works (a seldom-seen blue-period erotic work that Picasso once disavowed, icons such as the Gertrude Stein portrait, or the famous "Au Lapin Agile" donated by the late Walter Annenberg)and two good 1932 portraits of Marie-Thrse. The main asset of the book, apart from the excellent reproductions, is the quality of the essays which reveal new scholarship on the artist, such as the discovery of hidden paintings behind the actual extant works (Picasso, in his early years would commonly paint over existing works, by himself or other artist friends, in order to save on the money needed to buy new canvases).

A very interesting book which I recommend to anyone interested in the most famous painter of the XXth century.
4969397
An interesting accompaniement to a very interesting exhibition.  I actually think that the book is something that is very useful on its own about the period and the art associated with it.  My only issue is the title, as with the title of the exhibit.  It does not give the reader/viewer a realistic idea of the truly interesting aspects of this exhibit.  "dream of realities" is extracted from a quote that just doesn't hit it in the right place.  Not the first time with this museum.
3620092
I really enjoyed this book about the past, present, and future of Vent Haven Museum, a tiny, private museum in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky that is the world's only ventriloquism museum. The book is basically three books in one.

Part One (and the largest part of the book) is a biography of the founder of the museum, William Shakespeare Berger. This biography is the "past" that's mentioned in the book's title.

Part Two is a detailed description of 10 (out of nearly 900, according to the book) of the ventriloquist figures on display at Vent Haven. It's interesting to think that each and every ventriloquist figure has its own story. This section of the book includes a large, full color shot of each of these ten figures (along with several smaller shots of the related ventriloquist or of the dummy in use), and this section, I guess, is the "Present" in the title of the book.

Part Three is a brief How-To for any budding ventriloquists who hope to some day have THEIR figure retired at Vent Haven. I guess that's what makes this section the "Future" of the museum.

I'm not myself a ventriloquist, so of the three sections I found Part One the most interesting. Berger's life was intriguing, and though I'm not a huge fan of ventriloquism (though I have nothing against it, either), I HAVE been a collector in the past, so I connected with Berger in that sense. And more than anything, I was intrigued by the struggles that Berger had to overcome in order to amass this collection of ventriloquist memorabilia and then ensure its preservation.

Because I live near Vent Haven Museum (I live in the same small suburb of Cincinnati), I've been in the museum on quite a few occasions. It's a charming place. There are 100's of photos throughout the book, and they--together with the three sections of text--do a good job of conveying the charm of the museum. This is a book well worth owning, especially if you're a fan of ventriloquism, small museums, or collecting.
2981126
When I was asked to participate in Eric's book I jumped at the chance to be included. I recently received my copy and really enjoy the quality of the reproductions as well as the writing. This is a fun and wonderful way to help introduce art history and see it through another artists eyes so to speak. I hope everyone enjoys the writing the way it is interwoven with the images and the famous artist that was depicted as well as the overall quality and I look forward to future subjects by Eric.
578785
Written by a senior staff member of Sotheby's, this book offers an interesting overlook on the collections and personalities of some of the most important art collectors of our time. The text itself is a collection of short pieces on each  collector, describing the building and the highlights of their collection (which can be African art, Islamic art, modern paintings, rare books, old masters, contemporary art, etc). You will not find any real scoop here, since, but for a few exceptions, most of the people and collections described are already well-known , but it is still a book that is pleasant to read and full of good-quality illustrations of seldom reproduced works.
571648
This book accompanies an exhibit of the same name at the Denver Art Museum running through September 25, 2016. The reproductions of the pieces are excellent, and the book does a fine job of providing backgrounds for the works by way of biographies of the artists and some history of the times. Worth buying if you're at all interested in this genre and period of art. And if you can make it to Denver to see the works in person, do so.
4860604
Pierre Rosenberg makes the bold claim that Poussin is, together with Cezanne, the greatest of all French painters. Andrew Butterfield in NYRB describes the Metropolitan exhibition as "ravishingly beautiful' and speaks of "magical paintings of unforgettable affective power". Jed Perl in the New Republic asserts that this epochal exhibition "took us deeper into the inexhaustibly complex relationship between nature and culture than any other".

This catalogue will give the reader an idea of what all the fuss is about. The first third of the book consists of erudite essays concerning Poussin's landscapes. The balance is a description and discussion of the 113 paintings and drawings that were on show at the Met. This latter task is left to Pierre Rosenberg, a leading authority on French drawings and paintings.

I strongly recommend this quality publication. The many illustrations are excellently reproduced and the accompanying text is unfailingly interesting. It offers some consolation to those that missed this famous exhibition and a serves as a joyous reminder to those who were lucky to have attended.
598795
The last couple of years have seen a number of definitive books on 20th century comic book and strip art greats such as Daniel Clowes, Jaime Hernandez, Jack Davis. The practice of having the art newly photographed directly from the originals is thankfully becoming more common, as it puts the reader much closer to the experience of viewing the actual art (a rare opportunity, needless to say). But whereas the afore-mentioned books convey the experience of being at a gallery showing of one artist, this book celebrating the collection of Glenn Bray has the distinction of making you feel like you're strolling through the Louvre of Underground, Outsider and Counter Culture comic art!  There are generous helpings of great examples by the likes of alternative press giants like Crumb, Panter, Wolverton, Clowes, Rory Hayes, Robert Williams, Drew Friedman, alongside greats from strips, EC comics, and funny animal art like Harvey Kurtzman and Carl Barks -- ALL UNDER ONE ROOF!  (not to mention dozens of artists I was otherwise unfamiliar with, who now deserve further investigation; even Freddie Blassie gets page space devoted to him!).  It may seem like it shouldn't work, but it does: the book is over 400 pages so manages to give everyone their due.  It's smartly organized, and the reproduction of the art is top notch as mentioned. If you're interested in alternative press or underground art or comic book art in general, I think you'll find the book to be an achievement as I have. Hats off to Fantagraphics Books for putting this together (and doing it right!), and their continued dedication to preserving this great art form in their various archival editions.
4962909
This book shows the history and philosophy of the exhibits and the building. It gives a great deal of background and highlights a few that you wouldn't want to miss. There are a lot of pictures that show the past issues and solutions to problems faced by the museum so it is a good supplement to those who intend to go there. For example there is an interesting picture of a submarine setting outside the museum for years before they could integrate it.

Dale
4651847
This is a lavishly illustrated art book and an engaging written piece of scholarship. It gave me many insights into the artists prickly personality and what he was striving for in his art.

There were many surprises: like the contention that Czanne had a traditional idea of portraiture, even though his portraits were unlike anything that had been done.

The text follows Cezannes portraits from the early aggressive impasto through his famous constructive brushstrokes to his thinly painted, subtly nuanced surfaces. In addition to the great numbers of vibrant reproductions, there are dramatic close-ups of seminal portraits that invite the reader to examine Czanne s brushwork.

The chapters are mostly organized around a Cezannes subjects.  This becomes very interesting. We get a more objective view of Madame Cezanne, who has been unjustly vilified for being a sourpuss. We explore the drama that ensued when Cezanne painted Parisian intellectuals (he was far more comfortable painting family members and country people). We meet his favorite people, like the gardener who did so much more for Cezanne than garden. And we hear about the challenges of modeling for Cezanne, who required absolute stillness and sometimes over a hundred sittings.

There are short biographical sketches of Cezannes subjects, including himself.  Theres a good chronology, and even this section is rich in reproductions. The text is seeded with fun quotes from Cezanne that bring his complex character to life.

I cant get to the London exhibit of these portraits, so Im grateful to have the book.