Roberta Smith
New York Times
Book Recommendations:
Recommended by Roberta Smith
“Exceptional.... Topping my list is the Museum of Modern Art's "Picasso Sculpture"... Touch down at almost any point, and you'll learn something new.” (from Amazon)
by Luise Mahler, Virginie Perdrisot, Rebecca Lowery, Ann Temkin, Anne Umland, Pablo Picasso·You?
by Luise Mahler, Virginie Perdrisot, Rebecca Lowery, Ann Temkin, Anne Umland, Pablo Picasso·You?
The most in-depth account of the lives of Picasso’s sculptures "Published in conjunction with the first large-scale retrospective of Picasso's sculpture in the US since The Museum of Modern Art's historic show of 1967, Picasso Sculpture is a sweeping survey of the artist's profoundly innovative and influential work in three dimensions. Over the course of his long career, Picasso devoted himself to sculpture wholeheartedly, if episodically, using both traditional and unconventional materials and techniques. Unlike painting, in which he was formally trained and through which he made his living, sculpture occupied a uniquely personal and experimental status in Picasso's oeuvre. He kept the majority of his sculptures in his private possession during his lifetime, and it was only in the late 1960s that the public became fully aware of this side of his oeuvre. Picasso Sculpture presents approximately 150 sculptures--many of them captured in newly commissioned and sometimes multi-view photographs--alongside a selection of works on paper and photographs. Organized into chapters that correspond to distinct periods during which Picasso devoted himself to sculpture, the publication features an introduction by the exhibition curators as well as a richly illustrated documentary chronology focusing on the sculptures included in the exhibition. A comprehensive bibliography and list of historic exhibitions related to Picasso's work in sculpture closes the volume, advancing the understanding of Picasso's practice and lifelong commitment to constant reinvention."
Recommended by Roberta Smith
“In this riveting book, the authors take advantage of the pockets' frequent survival in textile museums, private collections and family holdings across Britain, tracing their presence in art, literature, political satire, domestic organization and court records.” (from Amazon)
by Barbara Burman, Ariane Fennetaux·You?
by Barbara Burman, Ariane Fennetaux·You?
A New York Times Best Art Book of 2019 “A riveting book . . . few stones are left unturned.”—Roberta Smith’s “Top Art Books of 2019,” The New York Times This fascinating and enlightening study of the tie-on pocket combines materiality and gender to provide new insight into the social history of women’s everyday lives—from duchesses and country gentry to prostitutes and washerwomen—and to explore their consumption practices, sociability, mobility, privacy, and identity. A wealth of evidence reveals unexpected facets of the past, bringing women’s stories into intimate focus. “What particularly interests Burman and Fennetaux is the way in which women of all classes have historically used these tie-on pockets as a supplementary body part to help them negotiate their way through a world that was not built to suit them.”—Kathryn Hughes, The Guardian “A brilliant book.”—Ulinka Rublack, Times Literary Supplement