Sculpture of Louise Nevelson Constructing a Legend [Paperback]

Brooke Kamin (editor) Rapaport (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: The Jewish Museum / Yale University Press, New York / New Haven CT (2007)
• ASIN: B000SKX8MO
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,516,011 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book the art world needed, July 3, 2007

By 

Artist (Monterey, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sculpture of Louise Nevelson: Constructing a Legend (Jewish Museum) (Hardcover)

Just when I was interested in learning more about Louise Nevelson this very fine book appears in publication. The quality photographs show all facets of her career and the writings reflect in-depth scholarship. Some more detail views of the sculptures would have been nice also, like those on the front and back cover. This fresh and thorough book is the kind that gives great artists the continuing attention they deserve. Like her contemporary Georgia O'Keeffe, Nevelson was a truly unique American woman artist.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Worth the Money, July 19, 2007

By 

B. Evans (Chicagoland) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Sculpture of Louise Nevelson: Constructing a Legend (Jewish Museum) (Hardcover)

The review from "Publishers Weekly" is not just hype but rather an excellent summation of this gem. Though another reviewer wished for more close-ups of Nevelson's sculptures, I was pleased with their number and really don't think more would have added much. I was also pleasantly surprised to find good coverage of Nevelson's etchings and metal sculptures. And it is always an added bonus when the text is well-written and insightful. All in all, THE SCULPTURE OF LOUISE NEVELSON: CONSTRUCTING A LEGEND is a must-have book for those interested in both the person and her oevre. --B. Evans, 7/19/07

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mysterious monuments, January 16, 2008

By 

wiredweird "wiredweird" (Earth, or somewhere nearby) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Sculpture of Louise Nevelson: Constructing a Legend (Jewish Museum) (Hardcover)

Nevelson's work, as I had seen it in books and other photos, never really impressed me. Then I saw a show of her work, for which this book is catalog - what a difference.

Size matters - I knew that intellectually, but standing in front of these imposing works creates a subjective experience that no photo can capture. Walking around them changes perspective, too, giving a sense like one of those Zen gardens where no point of view presents all of the work's features. Then, at least in the "black" works, there's an odd paradox. If the works had been perfectly, 100% black and non-reflective, then there would have been nothing to see. Only the fact that they're not truly black exposes their mystery.

The static museum display, even more than the book's photos, left me knowing that I had missed at least two aspects of these majestic works. First, their depth and structure only half-defines the shadows deep inside these works. The other half of the shadow's definition comes from the light - a constant in the museum gallery, freezing the shadows like insects in amber, whereas natural lighting would change throughout the day and let the shifting shadows come to life. Second, some of the installations seemed incomplete. Oh, the pieces of Dawn's Wedding Chapel were all there and presented well, but I felt that there must have been some original placement of the pieces that would define the interior of the chapel - the pieces' placement in the display that I saw lacked the consistent logic that I expected of Nevelson.

More than just a catalog of the Nevelson show, this book provides insight into her origins, life, and career. Almost as much as Salvador Dali, Nevelson might well have been Nevelson's greatest creation - once success allowed it, her extravagant clothes, mask-like makeup, and signature scarf on her head worked together to create a unique persona. Beneath that, we still see the remarkable person and her groundbreaking work.

-- wiredweird