American Gothic: The Biography of Grant Wood's American Masterpiece [Paperback]

Thomas Hoving (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 28, 2005

The story behind one of the most famous paintings in American art.

The stern, sober countenance of the elderly farmer. The quiet, loyal character of his prim wife. Few other paintings are so instantly recognizable as Grant Wood's masterpiece American Gothic. Bestselling Chicago author Thomas Hoving brings to life Wood himself and illuminates, as only he can, the allure of this iconic painting. This is the lively biography of Grant Wood, whose roots grew deep in the heartland of America, a poor kid in a small Iowa town. His painting was a reflection of the place where he lived and the world he knew. It is also a biography of the painting itself, from its inspiration, to its controversial unveiling at a juried exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago-where it earned derision, praise, and a bronze medal-to its eventual acceptance and recognition as a true original work of art. Today it ranks with the Mona Lisa and Edvard Munch's The Scream as one of the most well-known (and parodied) paintings in the world-and it remains a beloved piece of Americana.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Thomas Hoving was the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City from 1967 to 1977. During his tenure he doubled the size of the museum. He is also recognized for introducing the now ubiquitous "blockbuster" museum exhibition, designing the record-breaking Tutankhamun show. Hoving has written fifteen nonfiction and fiction books, including two national bestsellers, Tutankhamun: The Untold Story and Making the Mummies Dance.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Chamberlain Bros. (June 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596091487
• ISBN-13: 978-1596091481
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,259,183 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but should have been better., July 22, 2005

By 

Neal A. Wellons (Atlanta) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: American Gothic: The Biography of Grant Wood's American Masterpiece (Paperback)

This book is interesting but seems to have been rushed into print. Parts of the text seemed like a draft and one of the photos was printed reversed (Parson Weem's Fable.) The paper is very cheap with resulting muddy pictures. Hoving seems to have negative comments about most critics and art historians that he mentions while congratulating himself on his perception. I expected better; his King Tut book was fantastic.

I would recommend American Gothic by Stephen Biel as the first choice but at least this one is cheaper.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, October 4, 2005

By 

John D. Bartone (St. Petersburg, FL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: American Gothic: The Biography of Grant Wood's American Masterpiece (Paperback)

I am in complete agreement with the one other customer review that has appeared to date for this book. The information offered is interesting. However, this book was cheaply produced and apparently rushed into print to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the creation of Grant Wood's masterpiece. The illustrations hardly merit the name, so murky they completely obscure the author's points. And there doesn't seem to have been even the most cursory edit. The frequent typos, grammatical errors, jumbled words are a major distraction. Quite honestly, someone of Thomas Hoving's stature should be embarassed to have his name attached to this.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and fun, November 10, 2007

By 

k_booklover "k_booklover" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Gothic : The Biography of Grant Wood's American Masterpiece (Paperback)

While I agree about the typos and bad photo reproduction (which are the publisher's fault, not the author's), the insights to this famous painting, the reactions to it, and Grant Wood himself make for some excellent text. It's a very quick and fun read.