Beautiful, bold, and vibrant, the treasures from the Sutton Hoo ship burial have fascinated me ever since I first studied them in freshman art history. A new movie called The Dig, based on a novel of the same name, tells a fictionalized tale of their discovery.
Category: Books
The Sleeve Should Be Illegal – A Unique New Book from the Frick
Next month, The Frick Collection and DelMonico Books/D.A.P. will publish The Sleeve Should Be Illegal & Other Reflections on Art at the Frick, a book of short essays responding to works in the Frick's collection. I was lucky enough to receive an early pdf copy, and I really liked it!
The Fascinating Story of Belle da Costa Greene
If you're interested in rare books, notable bibliophiles, awesome women, or African-American history, I recommend reading Heidi Ardizzone's biography of Belle da Costa Greene.
A New Graphic Novel Introduces Edmonia Lewis
As a big fan of 19th-century African-American and Native-American sculptor Edmonia Lewis, I was excited to find out that she's now the subject of a new graphic novel, Seen: Edmonia Lewis. Thanks to publisher BOOM! Studios, I was able to read and review an advanced digital copy ahead of its September 2020 release.
Irving Stone’s The Agony and the Ecstasy Brings Michelangelo to Life
Irving Stone's The Agony and the Ecstasy is a 1961 biographical novel about Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564). I'm glad that people kept pushing me towards this book until I couldn't resist anymore; I enjoyed it greatly and recommend it highly. Here's why.
Some of My Favorite Art Books
Here are fifteen entertaining, informative, and highly readable art-related books that I have personally read and loved.
Christine Coulson’s Metropolitan Stories – a Poetic Ode to the Met
Christine Coulson's Metropolitan Stories: A Novel is a set of vignettes about life at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's a beautiful, whimsical poetic ode to one of the world's most significant art museums.
King of the Confessors – a Crazy Story About the Cloisters Cross
I just finished reading Thomas Hoving's King of the Confessors, which is about Hoving's adventures in acquiring what's now called The Cloisters Cross. Thanks to him, this English Romanesque carved ivory cross is one of the highlights of the Met Cloisters. The story is wild, and I couldn't put it down.
American Artists and the American Revolution
Here in the United States, paintings play a big role in how we experience the story of our country's origins. Portraits of our Founding Fathers and other paintings of the Revolutionary War appear on our money, in our textbooks, and decorating our government buildings. These paintings have become a huge part of our national consciousness. Paul Staiti's Of Arms and Artists: The American Revolution Through Painters' Eyes is about the five American painters most responsible for depicting the Revolution era.
The Self-Portrait: A Cultural History, by James Hall
James Hall's The Self-Portrait: A Cultural History (London: Thames & Hudson, Ltd., 2014) is a really interesting assessment of self-portrait painting as a cultural phenomenon. It's well thought-out, researched, and written, and I greatly appreciated it.
