The Museum of Modern Aaaht
341256
I suspect that if you missed reading "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" as a child you have, in a sense, missed the boat.  People who read this book as kids have a near psychotic attachment to it.  They'll buy you multiple copies and gleefully describe to you the delight they felt at the idea of running away and living in a museum of art.  The book's influence has stretched to the point where scenes from it have appeared in such popular films as "The Royal Tenenbaums".  Pity me, then, since the first time I read this book when I was roughly 20 years of age.  I read it, digested it, and came to the somewhat sour conclusion that it was a fine book but hardly worth the attention it's received.  Fast forward some six odd years.  I've just reread the book (again, as an adult).  I've a little more experience reading and reviewing children's literature, especially Newbery winners like this l'il number.  I read it.  I digested it.  And I came to the slightly less sour conclusion that while this book was enjoyable and loved widely by children everywhere, it's definitely not Konigsburg's best by a long shot.  "The View From Saturday" is her best.  "From the Mixed-Up Files" is just a nice gimmicky book that is vastly appealing to children but not written particularly well or badly.  It's fine, but that's all it is.  Fine.

Claudia is deeply disappointed with her life.  Every day she goes about as the same old Claudia in the same old routine.  Convincing herself that the only recourse left to her is to run away from home, Claudia enlists the aid of her younger brother Jamie.  With Jamie in charge of all monetary concerns and Claudia heading the planning, the two set off on an adventure.  And where do all good suburban kids run away to when they live a short distance from New York City?  Why to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, of course!  While there the two live on their own, spending their money wisely.  It's not long before they find that their stay has coincided with the arrival of a mysterious statue that may or may not have been sculpted by Michelangelo.  Together, Claudia and Jamie set off to discover the secret of the statue.  A secret that may well live in the files of the mysterious Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

Reading the book again, I have to admit I was a little more impressed with it than I expected to be.  Konigsburg certainly does cover her bases when it comes to plausible hiding out.  The kids think of everything possible when it comes to living on their own, including where to take baths and how to save their pennies.  You begin to really believe that a story of this nature could occur.  Unfortunately (and Konigsburg is, admittedly, guilty of this crime in more than one of her books) they don't really act their ages very well.  Jamie in particular seems blessed with a vocabulary well beyond his years.  This results in him saying phrases like, "Claudia, dear, I'm no angel.  Statue or otherwise".  I've yet to hear a nine year old of my own acquaintance casually use the word "otherwise" in conversation.

The book's definitely a bit of a historical piece of work too.  The kids are constantly eating at automats (a place that most children will need some kind of explanation of).  The prices that they pay for things are almost ludicrously low and there are references to items of clothing like petticoats.  Otherwise, the book could have been written today.  Even as I write this I find that I'm growing a little fonder of it.  There have been far more recent children's books that have tried to latch onto the feelings inspired by "From the Mixed-Up Files".  I'm thinking, of course, of Blue Balliett's less successful (writing-wise), "Chasing Vermeer".  But nothing really compares with the original.  Though I'd be the first to say that "From the Mixed-Up Files" is not really the best book ever written, it's still a fun one for kids that's filled with excellent information on Michelangelo.  Consider it recommended with some reservations.
3260951
This book has some of the finest examples of modern Mediterranean architecture I've seen. It has lots of beautiful photographs as well. A great buy!
127914
I was fortunate enough to have been in San Jose some years back, in order to see an exhibit of Nara's work. It was impressive to see the range of artistic mediums he's worked in to date, embracing temporal materials that play into the influence of comics/manga, all the way through to more 'fine art' executions of his "Super Flat", highly influential style.
These books show the exhaustive assortment of Nara's works known to date - a total visual tour de force.
AND you even get a really cute cotton canvas tote with a randomly selected Nara image on it!
This gorgeous doorstop = perfect gift to myself (but worth the splurge on any art lover you may know).
407494
This is a refreshing book, about the author's personal quest to transform the Metropolitan Museum of Art of N.Y., during his tenure as director of the museum (1967-1977).
 When Hoving arrived as Director, he assessed the Met as a disorganized institution, a collection of collections, located in a mixture of buildings and architectures that gave "the impression of something worse than incomplete; it seemed forgotten and forlorn...." At the time Hoving was offered the post, he was commissioner of Parks, under the tenure of Mayor John Lindsay, whose mayoral campaign the author had joined with a leave of absence from... the Met, where, after receiving his Ph. D. in Art from Princeton University, he went from assistant curator to curator of the Medieval Department and the Cloisters. And indeed, it was Lindsay, when told the news about the directorship, who said: "...have you considered the boredom? Seems to me the place is dead. But, Hoving, you'll make the mummies dance." Hence the title of the book.
 The story is a fascinating, at times egotistical and gossipy account of what it took to revolutionize an institution like the Met. From the seduction of the patrons and trustees, such as Nelson Rockefeller, Walter Annenberg, Brooke Astor, Robert Lehman, to the development of a network of experts, smugglers and famous collectors, Hoving takes us on a journey that reveals a lot about the inner workings of power, expertise and glamour, in the art world.
At the end, we are led to believe Hoving's final insight about his tenure:
"With the creative energy of the Trustees who had been on my side and the stuff who supported me, the most sweeping revolution in the history of art museums had taken place. The Met, once an elitist, stiff, gray, and slightly moribund entity, came alive. THE MUMMIES DID DANCE......"
4545457
This is a volume in the "One on One" series published by New York's Museum of Modern Art, a collection of short monographs--or "sustained meditations," as the jacket text has it--by MoMA curators on some of the Museum's best known works of art.  Anne Umland, the curator responsible for last year's "Picasso: Guitars 1912-1914" exhibit and the author of its accompanying catalogue, here explicates Picasso's famous painting and places it in the context of his life and work.  In late 1931, Picasso began an intensive painting campaign to produce work for his upcoming first great retrospective show at the Galeries Georges Petit in Paris, scheduled to open in June 1932.  Just a year before, Matisse had had a major retrospective at the same gallery, and it had been roundly criticized by the press for containing too many older works "recycled" for the new show.  Picasso, who had just turned 50, desperately wanted to avoid a similar embarrassment and began turning out paintings at a furious pace, including "Girl Before a Mirror," which he finished and dated on March 14, 1932 and which, as he told Alfred Barr, the MoMA's first director, was his favorite in that long series (5).  The "Girl" is, of course, Marie-Therese Walther, his mistress and model for so many of the paintings and plaster sculptures of those years. Dr. Umland succeeds very well in indicating the profound influence the three-dimensional work he undertook at his Boisgeloup  sculpture studio had on his practice in those paintings for the Petit exhibition, which, as she notes, are "among the most Matisse-like of his works" (29).  An X-ray of the painting enables us to see how extensively the artist reworked his original rather naturalistic composition to create a fascinatingly complex version of  a traditional artistic theme.  This is a small volume (46 pages), but it is very clearly written, excellently illustrated (there are over a dozen full-page reproductions of Picasso's plaster busts and riotously colorful canvases, with many other illustrations), and in general beautifully designed, and of course the discussion is completely authoritative. There are some photographs, too: by Brassai (of the work), by Man Ray (of Picasso), and by Picassso himself (of Marie-Therese).  If you don't already love the painting, you probably will after reading this thoroughly delightful little book.
457612
Very nicely representative of the exhibiton at the Met. Images are carefully arranged so as to be located in close proximity to the text in which they are discussed so the book is easy to read and easy to enjoy. Essays are scholarly but readable for a general audience while the extensive footnotes and provenance of each piece makes it useful for those interested in academic research as well.. I only regret that I didn't finish the entire book before I went to the show!
3572352
I saw this exhibit while in New York, and this book makes the jewelry look even more beautiful.  The way they were able to get light behind all the pieces and show them up close is phenomenal.  I am glad I saw them 'live' for reference, but the book is the better viewing.
4325649
This book is NOT primarily a picture book, but that's to be expected from a museum imprint. I got it before going to see the "David Bowie Is..." exhibition in Barcelona, and it's a fine companion to the show. It's thorough in making its case for "David Bowie as auteur", but is not overly academic, "curatorial", and unreadable the way some exhibition catalogs can be. It has a lot of images of his work, his clothes and his influence on popular culture. So if you want to see good photos as well as scratch your brain a bit on the deeper aspects of Bowie's oeuvre, certainly pick this up.
2165810
This collection depicting the tapestry exhibit recently held at the  NY Met Museum is an indisputable gem. Entries are consise and thorough. Photographs are well done, some a bit too grey, but overall usable to all textile artists.
Well worth the price and a steal at Amazon's price.
281575
Happy to make this purchase.  Motherwell tends to be high-browed for many people.  I've always loved his work since the first time I came face to face with my first Motherwell in the Metropolitan Mus. of Art...Here is an intimate look into his early work that are not just the somewhat redundant large paintings of his late career....anyhow, perhaps they are redundant to me as most American museums seem to have the same piece, or a close variation thereof.  I am a reader who appreciates the look into the happenings of life around the art....more than the personal theoretical interpretation of the author.  This book is a welcome addition to my collection.
4363751
Recently visited the Museum and couldn't take it all in during our brief visit.  This book brought the museum pieces to our home to enjoy over and over again.
625900
The Degas mono print show at MoMA was fantastic and this book is a great catalog/overview. There's nothing like seeing the real thing but the book is well printed and it's a lot easier to read the history in a book than on the walls of a museum.
1359022
This book is really about not only the story of the recovery of the "treasures" of the great old steamship Arabia, it is also like a visit to a museum of common ordinary things from the 1800s, from bottles of condiments, to shoes and boots, Indian beads, handtools, and so forth, the effort the family went through to recover the artifacts and to preserve them for everyone else to see.  To me this is what archaeology should be, preserving the past so that the public can see and learn from the past.  A very well done book,wonderful photography, and an enchanting story.
3360333
I saw this exhibit at Seattle Asian Art Museum and was blown away by the elegance and variety of the pieces.  The catalog brings it all back with great text and fine plates.  Even if you didn't get to see the show, anyone interested in Japanese art, 20th century art, or 20th century conscious modernism on a global scale will love this book.
1407410
I am fascinated by the 1851 exhibition, if only GB could do as well now? just compare the Crystal Palace with the ugly pimple by the Thames for 2000!! This book is in very good condition, a slight whiff of tobacco smoke but no problem.
Jim Clarke
4743294
This is an easy to handle book, a great collection of modern masterpieces.
3181753
Published 1988, so a bit dated as the MIA has obtained quite a bit since then. MIA has a book through their bookstore (they do mail order) rather current and VERY pretty. But this has hundreds of fotos - many b/w - and all excellent reproductions. Maybe not as vibrant as possible, but very accurate. I find the commentary very agreeable. A lot/most of this stuff is still on exhibit over my visits of the last few years.