Making Marvels

Making Marvels

Author: Wolfram Koeppe

Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Published: 2019-11-25

Total Pages: 315

ISBN-13: 1588396770

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Featuring more than 150 treasures from several of the world’s most prestigious collections, Making Marvels explores the vital intersection of art, technology, and political power at the courts of early modern Europe. It was there, from the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries, that a remarkable outpouring of creativity and learning gave rise to exquisite objects that were at once beautiful works of art and technological wonders. By amassing vast, glittering collections of these ingeniously crafted objects, princes flaunted their wealth and competed for mastery over the known world. More than mere status symbols, however, many of these marvels ushered in significant advancements that have had a lasting influence on astronomy, engineering, and even international politics. Incisive texts by leading scholars situate these works within the rich, complex symbolism of life at court, where science and splendor were pursued with equal vigor and together contributed to a culture of magnificence.


Making The Met, 1870–2020

Making The Met, 1870–2020

Author: Andrea Bayer

Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Published: 2020-03-23

Total Pages: 291

ISBN-13: 1588397092

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Published to celebrate The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 150th anniversary, Making The Met, 1870–2020 examines the institution’s evolution from an idea—that art can inspire anyone who has access to it—to one of the most beloved global collections in the world. Focusing on key transformational moments, this richly illustrated book provides insight into the visionary figures and events that led The Met in new directions. Among the many topics explored are the impact of momentous acquisitions, the central importance of education and accessibility, the collaboration that resulted from international excavations, the Museum’s role in preserving cultural heritage, and its interaction with contemporary art and artists. Complementing this fascinating history are more than two hundred works that changed the very way we look at art, as well as rarely seen archival and behind-the-scenes images. In the final chapter, Met Director Max Hollein offers a meditation on evolving approaches to collecting art from around the world, strategies for reaching new and diverse audiences, and the role of museums today.


Photography’s Last Century

Photography’s Last Century

Author: Jeff L. Rosenheim

Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Published: 2020-03-09

Total Pages: 183

ISBN-13: 1588397084

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Beginning with Paul Strand’s landmark From the Viaduct in 1916 and continuing through the present day, Photography’s Last Century examines defining moments in the history of the medium. Featuring nearly 100 masterworks from one of the most important private holdings of photography, the book includes works by Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Walker Evans, László Moholy-Nagy, Man Ray, and Cindy Sherman, as well as a diverse group of important lesser-known practitioners. A fascinating interview with Ann Tenenbaum provides a personal account of the works, while the main text offers an essential history of photography that addresses the implications of calling this period the medium’s “last” century.


The Renaissance of Etching

The Renaissance of Etching

Author: Catherine Jenkins

Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Published: 2019-10-21

Total Pages: 311

ISBN-13: 1588396495

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The Renaissance of Etching is a groundbreaking study of the origins of the etched print. Initially used as a method for decorating armor, etching was reimagined as a printmaking technique at the end of the fifteenth century in Germany and spread rapidly across Europe. Unlike engraving and woodcut, which required great skill and years of training, the comparative ease of etching allowed a wide variety of artists to exploit the expanding market for prints. The early pioneers of the medium include some of the greatest artists of the Renaissance, such as Albrecht Dürer, Parmigianino, and Pieter Bruegel the Elder, who paved the way for future printmakers like Rembrandt, Goya, and many others in their wake. Remarkably, contemporary artists still use etching in much the same way as their predecessors did five hundred years ago. Richly illustrated and including a wealth of new information, The Renaissance of Etching explores how artists in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and France developed the new medium of etching, and how it became one of the most versatile and enduring forms of printmaking. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Verdana}


Divine Pleasures

Divine Pleasures

Author: Terence McInerney

Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Published: 2016-06-14

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 1588395901

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As one of the finest holdings of Indian art in the West, the Kronos Collections are particularly distinguished for paintings made between the sixteenth and early nineteenth centuries for the Indian royal courts in Rajasthan and the Punjab Hills. These outstanding works, many of which are published and illustrated here for the first time, are characterized by their brilliant colors and vivid, powerful depictions of scenes from Hindu epics, mystical legends, and courtly life. They also present a new way of seeking the divine through a form of personal devotion—known as bhakti—that had permeated India’s Hindu community. While explaining the gods, demons, lovers, fantastical creatures, and mystical symbols that are central to literature and worship, this publication celebrates the diverse styles and traditions of Indian painting. Divine Pleasures features an informative entry for each work and two essays by scholar Terence McInerney that together outline the history of Indian painting and the Rajput courts, providing fresh insights and interpretations. Also included are a personal essay by expert and collector Steven M. Kossak and an examination of Hindu epic and myth in Mughal painting, which lays important foundations for Rajput painting, by curator Navina Najat Haidar. Through their research and observations, the authors deepen our understanding and underscore the significance of Indian painting. Divine Pleasures presents a nuanced view of a way of life intimately tied to the seasons, the arts, and the divine.


Am I Too Loud?

Am I Too Loud?

Author: Gerald Moore

Publisher: Hamish Hamilton

Published: 1962

Total Pages: 330

ISBN-13:

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Famous British accompanist recalls his association with singers, violinists, and others. Includes many anecdotes, praise where it is due, and some remarks on artistic temperament.


The Rationalist

The Rationalist

Author: Warwick Collins

Publisher: Orion

Published: 1999-09-02

Total Pages: 323

ISBN-13: 9780753807842

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Silas Grange is a handsome young doctor who prides himself on keeping his appetites under perfect control. But when Grange is summoned by a mysterious, voluptuous widow named Celia Quill, he submits readily to the power of her sensuality. Calmly, expertly, and with studied poise, Mrs Quill initiates Grange into pleasures beyond his imagination ¿ and then proceeds to betray him with deceit beyond his darkest fears. Set in an 18th-century English world of polished surfaces and secret desires, The Rationalist weaves a story of reason overthrown by passion, and intellect subverted by sexual obsession.