"Primitivism" in 20th Century Art: Affinity of the Tribal and the Modern, in Two Volumes [Box set] [Paperback]

William RUBIN (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 2002

"In 1906 tribal sculpture was ""discovered"" by 20th century artists; these objects had suddenly become relevant because of changes in the nature of modern art itself. These two volumes comprise the first comprehensive scholarly treatment in half a century of the crucial influence of the tribal arts--particularly those of Africa and Oceania--on modern painters and sculptors. In this visually stunning and intellectually provocative work, 19 essays confront complex aesthetic, art-historical, and sociological problems posed by this dramatic chapter in the history of modern art. The main body of the book contains a series of essays on primitivism in the works of Gauguin, the Fauves, Picasso, Brancusi, the German Expressionists, Lipchitz, Modigliani, Klee, Giacometti, Moore, the Surrealists, and the Abstract Expressionists. It concludes with a discussion of primitivist contemporary artists, including those involved in earthworks, shamanism, and ritual-inspired performances."

Product Details

• Paperback: 706 pages
• Publisher: The Museum of Modern Art, New York (July 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870705342
• ISBN-13: 978-0870705342
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 9.1 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,076 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Prehistoric & Primitive
  • #67 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Modern

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Huge but good, February 23, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Primitivism in 20th Century Art: Affinity of the Tribal and the Modern (Hardcover)

This was the text for a class in Primitivism in Modern Art. It is a detailed chronicle of how "Primitive" art influenced the artists of the early 20th century, such as Picasso and Gaughin. It has great pictures showing primitive art that these artists saw in museums at the time, that influenced paintings directly. Beautiful to just have.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Surprise, November 3, 2010

By 

Colorist (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: "Primitivism" in 20th Century Art: Affinity of the Tribal and the Modern, in Two Volumes (Paperback)

Primitivism is not a paticularly ineresting art topic for me, but one of my students brought in the two volume set to show as it had relevance to an art project. Somehow I had gotten through art school without learning anything but the very basic references to Primitivism such as Picasso's use of some of it's images in "Les Demoiselles D'Avignon". With that in mind I started browsing through the first volume and was fascinated at the information, scope, and references to much Modern Art. Amazingly interesting, thoroughly researched, and a pleasure to read as the information keeps coming about many Contemporary and Modern artists and how they were influenced, and why. Valuable, relevant, and informative while being a good, interesting read. Highest recommendation.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Art Book(s), October 30, 2010

By 

Theseus "theseus" (US of A) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Primitivism in 20th Century Art: Affinity of the Tribal and the Modern, Two Volumes (Paperback)

This two volume set is a thing of wonder.

One gets...
- the archetypal/raw/authentic power of tribal ("primitive") art from Africa and Oceania
- the brilliance of the formal experimentation/gutsy splendor of 20th century artists, and
- the palpable excitement of a bunch of 20th century artists, theorists, and viewers as they ride the big wave we now know as Modernism.

This book claims to be "the first comprehensive, scholarly treatment of the subject in half a century and the first ever to illustrate and discuss tribal works collected by vanguard artists." Really. Really? Well, maybe in this big a package.

Beautiful layout, stunning images, and a straight-forward approach to organization, allows these books to be read in sequence, read out of sequence, or paged through. 688 pages in total with probably 600-700 illustrations in b&w and color, many of them full page. 19 essays and pages of bibliographic information.

The book begins with describing the arrival of authentic tribal art objects in the west, then moves to the "big 3" modernists who embraced tribal forms (Picasso, Gauguin, Matisse), and then covers Brancusi, Leger, Klee, Giacometti, Dada, Surrealism, Henry Moore, and a host of schools and individuals such as, no surprise, Abstract Impressionism.