The Steins Collect: Matisse, Picasso, and the Parisian Avant-Garde (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art) [Hardcover]

Janet Bishop (Introduction), Cecile Debray (Introduction), Rebecca A. Rabinow (Introduction), Emily Braun (Contributor), Gary Tinterow (Contributor), Martha Lucy (Contributor), Claudine Grammont (Contributor), Carrie Pilto (Contributor), Helene Klein (Contributor), Isabel Alfandary (Contributor), Professor Edward M. Burns (Contributor), McD Robert Parker (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 21, 2011 | Series: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

As American expatriates living in Paris, the writer Gertrude Stein, her brothers Leo and Michael, and Michael's wife Sarah were absolutely pivotal in shaping the city's vibrant cultural life in the early 20th century. They hosted Saturday evening salons at which the brightest artists, writers, musicians, and collectors convened to discuss the latest developments. They aggressively promoted and collected emerging painters and sculptors, particularly their close friends Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. And along the way they developed unparalleled holdings in modernist work by such figures as Paul Cézanne, Juan Gris, Francis Picabia, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Lavishly produced and featuring more than 600 images, The Steins Collect is the first comprehensive exploration of the Steins' extraordinary collections and their enduring cultural influence.

The book explores the Steins' impact on art-making and collecting practices in Europe and the United States; the intense sibling rivalries that developed around key artists and ideas; the roots of Leo's aesthetic theories in the thought of William James and Bernard Berenson; Sarah and Michael's role in founding the Académie Matisse; Gertrude's complex relationship with Picasso and their artistic influence on each other; Le Corbusier's radical villa design for the family; and much more. The Steins Collect not only reveals the artistic prescience of this innovative family and their important patronage, but also traces how they created a new international standard of taste for modern art.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Lavishly illustrated…. an essential document for any scholar of Modernism and the Steins.” —The Sacramento Bee (The Sacramento Bee )

"This bulging blockbuster (with more than two hundred works by some forty artists, plus documentation of all types) is devoted to the collections and personalities of the Stein siblings . . . The Steins Collect: Matisse, Picasso, and the Parisian Avant-Garde and its sizable catalogue admirably give each family member his or her due, offering a renewed appreciation for Leo, Michael, and Sarah."—Robert Pincus-Witten, ArtForum

(Robert Pincus-Witten ArtForum )

"This exhibition catalogue is handsome, definitive, and rich with material. . . . deeply critical to future studies of the Steins and the early-20th-century Parisian avant-garde."—J. Decker, Choice

(J. Decker Choice )

About the Author

Janet Bishop is curator of painting and sculpture at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Cécile Debray is curator of historical collections at the Museé National d'Art Moderne, Centre Pompidou, Paris. Rebecca Rabinow is associate curator of 19th-century, modern, and contemporary art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.  Robert McD. Parker is an independent scholar.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 492 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; First Edition edition (June 21, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300169418
• ISBN-13: 978-0300169416
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 1.5 x 12 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #106,586 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Currently, I am a contributing author to art exhibition catalogues for major institutions in America and abroad. In recent years, I have also served as a principal art researcher for numerous international museums and as an editor for various scholarly art publications.


Photo by Gitty Darugar.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Steins Collect Art Book August 1, 2011

By Priscilla D. Schouten

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I recently went to the special exhibition of "The Steins Collect: Matisse, Picasso, and the Parisian Avant-Garde" at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. It is a marvelous exhibit. I learned so much about the Stein siblings, Gertrude and her brothers Michael and Leo (plus Michael's wife Sarah and later Gertrude's partner Alice B. Toklas), an extraordinary American family that shaped the art world of the 20th century as no one else did. This family from San Francisco moved to Paris in 1905 and stayed there for nearly three decades. Without great wealth, they used their income to buy avant garde art and promoted the artists they loved, especially Matisse and Picasso, helping to make these artists famous in Europe and in the United States. Their massive, ground-breaking collection was scattered around the world after their deaths, but this exhibit brings them together for the first time. The curatorship for this exhibit is superb: not only were so many remarkable (and legendary) works of art brought together, but the organization and display of the pieces mimick the way they were displayed in the various rooms of the Steins' apartments in Paris. The exhibit includes furniture pieces from the Steins' apartments, personal letters, documents, and family photographs of the Steins and their artist friends. It is a fantastic exhibit and this book, well-researched and scholarly, captures it exceedingly well. The book is a delight to read, since it helps one to understand better the motivations and artistic sensibilities of the Steins, the art world they lived in and helped create, and the historical context of the art pieces that rocked the 20th century. This hardcover book is available at the Museum but I bought it through Amazon because the price is nearly 40% lower and thus I could afford to buy two - one for me and one to thank my friend who took me to see the exhibit.
The The Steins Collect: Matisse, Picasso, and the Parisian Avant-Garde (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art)

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars comprehensive, interesting perspective of historically important collectors July 15, 2011

By Ivor E. Zetler

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The Stein family made their fortune in the United States from streetcar lines and real estate. Siblings Leo(1872-1947)and Gertrude (1874-1946)lived together in Paris between 1904 and 1913 after which Leo left for Italy. They held a weekly Saturday salon at their home which served as a meeting place of many Parisian artists and intellectuals. They also amassed a fabulous art collection, concentrating on the works of Renoir, Cezanne, Matisse and Picasso. Another brother Michael focussed on accumulating paintings by Matisse. This volume documents the history of the family as well as various aspects of their collecting habits and gives a description of their domicile in Paris.

Apart from the informative essays, there are numerous monochrome illustrations of the Stein residence, family members and associated personalities. Additionally there are generous sized color reproductions of the fabulous art works that were once in there possession. Understandably, given their quality and renown, a significant quantity of these works would be familiar to art enthusiasts. I was however pleased to discover a large number of high quality paintings that I had not previously encountered.

The printing standards of this weighty volume are high as are the excellent color reproductions. Strongly recommended.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Americans in Paris July 26, 2011

By Christian Schlect VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

A book that deserves a place on the bookshelves of anyone with a keen interest in the history of Western Art of the last century.

Readers interested in the explosion of great art that emerged from Paris in the early years of the twentieth century; of Picasso and Matisse (and other artists of near rank); of the Stein family, especially Gertrude and her companion, Alice B. Toklas; and of the inner workings of the Stein's toward the acquisition of their astounding collections of art--such interested readers should buy and read this collaborative scholarly effort.

Along with the nice and true color reproductions of the artworks purchased by members of the Stein family, I especially enjoyed the black-and-white photographs of the interiors of the various Stein homes, which allow one to see how the works were actually privately displayed over time.