Customer Reviews

America's Art: Masterpieces from the Smithsonian American Art Museum

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Published in 2006 to mark the Museum's reopening, this very large book of 324 pages measures 32.3cm x 26.2 cm (12.75" x 10"). The text is fairly minimal; following the Foreword and Introduction each of the sixteen chapters and has but a few paragraphs of explanatory text which very briefly outline the social and political conditions of the period under discussion. There is little if any reference to the accompanying art work illustrated - it speaks for itself. The book concludes with a catalogue of the work providing details of each piece, Notes on the text and a brief Selected Bibliography.

It is undoubtedly an impressive looking volume. It is illustrated throughout in full colour (apart from the few period black and white photographs), with many of the images full page. Paintings predominate, but there is also three-dimensional work and photography; and the book is attractively laid-out. There are 225 items pictured of what the publishers claim are the Museum's best works.

With work covering over 400 years of American art, including some very familiar but no less stunning pieces, this is a very well illustrated book. The text is surprisingly not very informative as regards the art work, but the generally chronologically arrangement is in itself interesting. A book which is certainly worth having for the illustrations alone.

This book is so beautiful and full of wonderful american art. I have purchased it for a dear friend in Europe who is a tour guide and expert in european art. I thought it would be a wonderful addition to her collection of art books.

After a 6 year restoration, the Smithsonian is slated to open this

July 4, 2006. This rendition on American Art contains priceless

reprints of famous scenes which depict ordinary households. i.e.

- The Young Moravian Girl 1755

- Mrs. James Smith and Grandson 1776

- Buffalo herds in the 1840s

- The Speculator (1852)

- Major Ballou- a letter to the wife

- The White Ballet (1904)

- High Cliff by Winslow Homer (1894)

- Saturday Evening Review (1964) by R. Buckminster Fuller

This acquisition would be perfect for Americans everywhere,

as well as a wide constituency of authors, historians and others

in general academe.