The Art and Architecture of Ancient America
The Art and Architecture of Ancient America

Author: George Kubler

Publisher:

Published: 1992-05

Total Pages: 576

ISBN-13: 9780300053234

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This book examines the development of the principal styles of ancient American architecture, sculpture, and painting until the end of the Aztec and Inca empires in the 16th century. The book tries to explain works of art as such, rather than dwelling upon those ideas about civilization which art is often made to illustrate in books of a more archaeological character.

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.

American Art and Architecture
American Art and Architecture

Author: Michael J Lewis

Publisher: Thames and Hudson

Published: 2006-06-06

Total Pages: 344

ISBN-13:

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"A wide-ranging and inclusive history of American art and architecture from its seventeenth-century colonial beginnings to the latest installation and video work, this book: discusses the key artists, architects, art works, and buildings across the centuries; defines the characteristics of different periods and highlights the forms, techniques, and styles that are distinctively American; integrates discussions of works of visual art and buildings, revealing their shared social and aesthetic concerns; charts the ways in which American artists and architects both adopted and diverged from earlier European models to create their own language; and illustrates paintings, sculpture, photography, and new-media art plus dozens of building types, from colonial houses and churches to modernist and postmodernist museums, stations, and skyscrapers."--BOOK JACKET.

A History of American Architecture
A History of American Architecture

Author: Mark Gelernter

Publisher: Manchester University Press

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 372

ISBN-13: 9780719047275

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Why did the colonial Americans give over a significant part of their homes to a grand staircase? Why did the Victorians drape their buildings ornate decoration? And why did American buildings grow so tall in the last decades of the 19th century. This book explores the history of American architecture from prehistoric times to the present, explaining why characteristic architectural forms arose at particular times and in particular places.

Design for Eternity
Design for Eternity

Author: Joanne Pillsbury

Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Published: 2015-10-26

Total Pages: 104

ISBN-13: 1588395766

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From the first millennium B.C. until the arrival of Europeans in the sixteenth century, artists from across the ancient Americas created small-scale architectural effigies to be placed in the tombs of important individuals. These works range from highly abstracted, minimalist representations of temples and houses to elaborate complexes populated with figures, conveying a rich sense of ancient ritual and daily life. Although often called models, these effigies were not created as prototypes for structures, but rather to serve as components of funerary practices that conveyed beliefs about an afterlife. Design for Eternity is the first publication in English to explore the full variety of these exquisite architectural works. The vivid illustrations and insightful essays focus on the concepts embodied in architectural representations and the role these intriguing sculptures played in mediating relationships among the living, the dead, and the divine.

The Ancient Americas
The Ancient Americas

Author: Richard F. Townsend

Publisher: Prestel Pub

Published: 1992

Total Pages: 397

ISBN-13: 9783791311883

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A lavishly illustrated catalog of a traveling exhibition marking the Columbus quincentennial explores the common threads in fourteen pre-Columbian cultures, from the Olmec, Maya and Aztec of Mexico and Guatemala through the Chavin culture (900-200 B.C.) of the Andes to the Moche, Chimu and the Inca empire, accompanied by essays from 26 scholars examining sacred geographies, myths and ancient beliefs as they are transmitted through visual arts and architecture.