Cezanne and America: Dealers, Collectors, Artists and Critics, 1891-1921 (A W Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts) [Hardcover]

John Rewald (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1989 | Series: A W Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts (Book 1979)

John Rewald, the internationally acclaimed Cezanne scholar, presents here for the first time a full account of how the artist's reputation and influence became established in America between 1891 and 1921, and of how some of the world's largest collections of Cezanne's works were formed in the United States. Recounted in Rewald's characteristically urbane and masterly style, this is the fascinating story of enthusiastic young American artists who took up Cezanne's cause after they discovered him in Paris. It is also the story of the discerning early American collectors of his work--Leo and Gertrude Stein, the Havemeyers and John Quinn, among others--many of whom made their first purchases from Cezanne's wily dealer Vollard or from the dealer Alfred Stieglitz in America, and of the beginning of the famous collection of Dr. Albert C. Barnes.Rewald discusses the exhibitions at which Cezanne's works were first shown and describes the outraged reactions of all but a few of the American critics. Several chapters are devoted to the important Armory Show of 1913. Throughout the text runs a compelling narrative in which all the actors revolve around the absent protagonist Cezanne. Each chapter is copiously illustrated, not only with Cezanne's works but also with portraits of collectors and critics and with previously unpublished pages from diaries, dealers' ledgers, and Cezanne's own correspondence.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This unique, painstaking study of the reception of Cezanne's work in America tells how a few enlightened American artists, critics, and collectors helped to establish Cezanne's reputation as the father of modern art. Some of Cezanne's first collectors were American--e.g., Berenson, Loeser, Fabbri, Havemeyer, and Leo Stein--and after his death, a number of American artists discovered his work. Walter Pach's favorable writings helped lead to Steiglitz's exhibition of Cezanne watercolors at his "291" gallery. Following the 1913 Armory Show, wider recognition of his contribution to modern art slowly grew in this country to culminate in his inclusion in the 1921 exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A fascinating, highly readable, yet scholarly book culled primarily from reviews and letters. Essential for all art collections.
- Lynell A. Morr, John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art Lib., Sarasota, Fla.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr (March 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 069109960X
• ISBN-13: 978-0691099606
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,655,822 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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