Gilbert Stuart (Metropolitan Museum of Art Series) (Hardcover)

by Carrie Rebora Barratt (Author), Ellen G. Miles (Author)
Key Phrases: queue ribbon, shirt ruffle, curatorial files, New York, Gilbert Stuart, George Washington (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

The most comprehensive book on Gilbert Stuart to date, this handsome volume focuses on the paintings and career of the most successful portraitist of America’s early national period, including Stuart’s famous images of George Washington.

Product Description
<approved for catalogue>
Gilbert Stuart
Carrie Rebora Barratt and Ellen G. Miles
A fascinating new look at the portraits and career of Gilbert Stuart,
whose fame is closely aligned to his incisive images of George Washington

The most successful and resourceful portraitist of America’s early national period, Gilbert Stuart (1755–1828) possessed enormous natural talent, bringing his witty and irascible manner to bear on each of his works. This handsome book highlights Stuart’s achievements by presenting more than ninety portraits of exceptional quality, ranging from the early works he produced in Newport, Rhode Island, to those he executed just before his death in Boston.
Carrie Rebora Barratt and Ellen G. Miles show how Stuart developed and maintained a distinctive portrait style, tailoring his portrayals to fit his subjects. They trace the development of his art from his hometown of Newport, where he proved his talent, to his years in London and Dublin, where he mastered the techniques of the English late-eighteenth-century Grand Manner, to his return to America (no longer the Colonies but now the United States), where he dealt with clients in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, and Boston. The authors provide a short essay about Stuart in each of the sites of his production, which introduces the works painted there. There is also a special section devoted to Stuart’s famous and popular portraits of Washington, the so-called Vaughan, Athenaeum, and Lansdowne portraits. These works are discussed in terms of patronage, technique, chronology, and interpretation.
The most comprehensive book on the artist’s work to date, Gilbert Stuart is essential for anyone who admires American art and history.
F This book is the catalogue for an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (October 18, 2004 to February 27, 2005) and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (April 10 to July 31, 2005), the first major show of Gilbert Stuart portraits since 1967.

Carrie Rebora Barratt is Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture and Manager of the Henry R. Luce Center for the Study of American Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Ellen G. Miles is Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.


See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art; illustrated edition edition (September 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300104952
• ISBN-13: 978-0300104950
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 9.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #841,496 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #2 in

  Books > Arts & Photography > Artists, A-Z > ( S-U ) > Stuart, Gilbert

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful reproductions, great artist .............., October 28, 2004

By	J. M. Williams (NORTH AUGUSTA, SC United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Beautifully done overview of the greater works of Gilbert Stuart.....and the special section of George Washington portraits is astounding. I've not seen some of these portraits of Washington before. As Gilbert Stuart is one of my favorite artists, this book is a real treat for me. The text is clear and well written and follows Stuart's career from the vantage point of his international residences. Anyone who truly loves portraiture will thoroughly enjoy this fine Yale University production. I'm hopeful to be able to view the originals that this publication promotes of Stuart's work scheduled to be on view at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington in early '05. This one's a keeper...........I only wish it was a bit more complete, though it certainly makes a valiant effort to present a fine sampling of Stuart's greatest work.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is an excellent art history book, July 30, 2005

By	L. Mallik - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book covers portraiture during the American revolutionary war period. I heartily recommend this book to anyone. It discusses biography, history, and art in a way that is lets the reader reach a new levels of understanding about governance, politics, and leadership.