Friday, December 31, 2010

Essentials: Stieglitz, Steichen, and Strand at The Met


When you talk about Classical music, you often begin with the three Killer B’s: Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. If you talk about American photography, you need to begin with the Essential S’s: Stieglitz, Steichen, and Strand. Malcolm Daniel’s Stieglitz, Steichen, Strand: Masterworks from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the catalog to the exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art through April 10, 2011, provides the perfect primer to these essential artists who saw photography through its infancy as a fine art and helped find it a place in the pantheon, as symbolized by their acceptance into The Met’s collection. Please come over to Picture This at Big Think to read more of "Essentials."

[Many thanks to Yale University Press for providing me with a review copy of Malcolm Daniel’s Stieglitz, Steichen, Strand: Masterworks from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the catalog to the exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art through April 10, 2011.]

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Mad, Sad, Bad, Glad: The Past Year in Art


The state of the art of art in the United States and beyond in 2010 reflected the larger unrest of the world itself. I originally wanted to compartmentalize things into the good, the bad, and the ugly, but that seemed inappropriate. So, here’s my recap of art in 2010 as the mad, the sad, the bad, and the glad. Please come over to Picture This at Big Think to read more of "Mad, Sad, Bad, Glad."


Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Bibliophilia: The Best Art Books of 2010


2010 was a great year for art publishing, with many presses producing high quality works not only in terms of reproducing great art, but also in publishing important thinkers on what the art of the past and present means. Here is one reviewer’s highly subjective, highly personal list (in no particular order) of some of the biggest “big thinks” in the art publishing world of the past year. Please come over to Picture This at Big Think to read more of "Bibliophilia."

[Many thanks to all the publishers and museums that provided me with review copies and other press materials in 2010. You all make my job so much easier.]