Giorgio Morandi 1890-1964: Nothing Is More Abstract Than Reality [Hardcover]

Renato Miracco (Editor), Maria Cristina Bandera (Editor), Janet Abramowicz (Contributor), Flavio Fergonzi (Contributor), Maria Mimita Lamberti (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2008

This volume showcases 116 masterpieces arranged into the four major themes that characterize Giorgio Morandi’s work: self portraits, still lifes, landscapes, and flowers. The collection represents all the various expressive techniques used by Morandi over the years, including paint, etching, drawing and watercolor.The volume is the catalog of an outstanding exhibition organized by the Metropolitan Museum in New York and by the Museo d’Arte Moderna in Bologna. The exhibition will be open in New York from September 16 to December 14, 2008 and in Bologna from January 22 to April 12, 2009.The exhibition and the catalog also contain a number of photographs of Morandi’s studio and quotes from his admirers, as well as the memorable 1958 interview with Edouard Roditi.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Maria Cristina Bandera is Director of the Fondazione di Studi di Storia dell’Arte Roberto Longhi a Firenze. Renato Miracco is the Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in New York. Janet Abramowicz was a Senior Lecturer for twenty years in the Department of Fine Arts at Harvard University. Flavio Fergonzi is a Professor of Contemporary Art History at the University of Udine. Maria Mimita Lamberti is a Professor of Contemporary Art History at the University of Torino. Neville Rowley is currently doing a PhD at the Sorbonne, where he taught for three years. Lorenza Selleri is Curator at the Museo Morandi, Bologna.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 366 pages
• Publisher: Skira (September 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 8861307167
• ISBN-13: 978-8861307162
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 1.5 x 11.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #463,111 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much more than just a still-life, October 9, 2008

By 

Claude Reich (Florianopolis, Brazil and Paris, France) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Giorgio Morandi 1890-1964: Nothing Is More Abstract Than Reality (Hardcover)

This is the catalogue for the current Morandi exhibition at the Met in NYC. It basically follows a strict chronology after two introductory essays, one attempting a reassessment of the artist's oeuvre in the light of the many studies that have been carried out in recent years and of his influence on contemporary art (no longer limited to abstraction)and the other dwelling on the visual sources that inspired the painter (Cézanne obviously, but also the Douanier Rousseau, Corot, Chardin to name but a few). These two essays are particularly interesting in that they provide in-depth information on the technique and working process of the artist and also on the somewhat paradoxical recognition of Morandi as a great master in the 1950's, at a time when abstraction was the dominant trend.

The book is then divided into five distinct periods, first displaying wonderful commented illustrations of the works pertaining to each period, and then followed by various essays (on the debatable influence of Piero della Francesca, on Morandi's etchings, on the critical reception and the market in Europe and the Americas, on debunking the myth of a reclused closed-off artist, on Morandi's famous saying that "nothing is more abstract than reality"). The book ends with a short text by Umberto Eco describing his discovery of Morandi's art, followed by transcripts of interviews of the artist.

This is probably the best artbook I have ordered this year (and I have ordered many!). The text is riveting, the illustrations (more than a hundred still-lifes and a dozen landscapes, all in full color) could not be better and some close-ups even give you the impression of holding the actual painting in your own hands (when I go through my library of some 800 artbooks, I have to disagree with the other reviewer of this book: the illustrations are outstanding).

Highly recommended.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent, October 29, 2008

By 

S. Zoller "drop acid not bombs" (New York, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Giorgio Morandi 1890-1964: Nothing Is More Abstract Than Reality (Hardcover)

Having just seen Morandi's show at the Met and purchasing this book (and having seen quite a few other Morandi publications), I can say confidently that this is an excellent book in all respects. I'm not sure what Mitchell Johnson expects from an art book. All of the plates are large, focused, and as close to Morandi's color as can be achieved without gluing the paintings themselves onto the pages of the book. There are also some excellent close ups of several paintings which are fascinating. This is a top rate publication with excellent reproductions.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Book!, February 12, 2009

By 

Puzzle (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Giorgio Morandi 1890-1964: Nothing Is More Abstract Than Reality (Hardcover)

I've collected a lot of art books over the last 30 years, and I have to say, I was completely blown away by the quality of the plates in this book. It's true, I haven't the originals to compare with the images directly, but in terms of how 'real' the images feel, it's one of the most outstanding publications I've seen in a long, long time.

In response to the two star reviews that decry the 'flatness' of the plates, I have this to say:

Comparing photographic prints of painted works to the originals is a little like comparing the sound reproduction of hifi systems to the original performance - sort of redundant. A good audio recording played through a great sound system, gives a wonderful feeling of 'being there' whether or not it's a perfect reproduction. Likewise, the images in this book give me the feeling of looking at real works of art, in the best possible way. The focus is generally pin-sharp, and the paintings are cleverly lit to clearly reveal the texture in each work. The images are of a good size, plus some detail images. The paper is heavy too.

In short, I'd rather spend time with quality reproductions of this wonderful artists work than deny myself the pleasure because they might be somehow not quite 'perfect'.