The American Century: Art Culture, 1900-1950 |  | Author: Barbara Haskell
Publisher: Whitney Museum of American Art
Category: Book
List Price: $60.00
Buy Used: $19.95
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Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 1209883
Media: Paperback
Pages: 408
Number Of Items: 1
ISBN: 0874271223
Dewey Decimal Number: 709.730747471
EAN: 9780874271225
ASIN: 0874271223
Publication Date: April 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Softcover has bump and scuff wear with light corner bends but no rips; Tight binding; Interior has previous owner's name and some of their info info blacked out but no other writing; Nice copy
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
To celebrate the coming millennium, the Whitney Museum of American Art is mounting a tremendous nine-month show covering American art from 1900 to 2000. IThe American Century: Art and Culture, 1900-1950/I, by curator Barbara Haskell, is the catalog for the first part of the exhibition. Included are images from painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, and design, providing a comprehensive overview of artistic and cultural ideas in the first half of this century. The book is broken into four chapters, beginning with "America in the Age of Confidence: 1900-1919," which includes beautiful John Singer Sargent paintings depicting American aristocratic life and silver objects from Tiffany and Company. Next comes the "Jazz Age in America: 1920-1929," with images documenting the importance of cinema: movie stills and an exquisite portrait of Gloria Swanson in lace. Also included in this period is a focus on industrial architecture as seen through the paintings of Charles Sheeler, Charles Demuth, and Joseph Stella, with their precise but almost abstract renderings of the changing American landscape. Chapter 3, "America in Crisis: 1930-1939," and chapter 4, "War and Its Aftermath: 1940-1949," include many photographs that map the changes in American life during this tumultuous period, from the dustbowl photos of Dorothea Lange to Weegee's pictures of the seamier side of New York City. Within the immensity of this catalog are discussions that relate the works of art to specific cultural phenomena and map the changing trends in the creation of American art. I--Jennifer Cohen/I
Product Description
This volume, covering the first half of the 20th century is a history of American Art as well as a permanent record of the exhibition held at the Whitney Museum. It includes 750 illustrations, some in colour, and descriptions of the exhibits set in the context of the political and social currents of the era.
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| Customer Reviews:
Great images less than great text. January 9, 2003
J. Remington (Adams, Oregon USA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This, the first volume of a two volume work (this is by far the stronger of the two)may not contain the strongest prose in terms of capturing the moment in history when America finally began to assert her own unique voice in the visual arts, but it does boast many glorious images. pMaybe this book is nothing more than a glorified coffee table book, but what a fine, colorful one it is. The book is crammed full of beautiful reproductions of some of the finest work America's shores ever produced: Stella, Johns, Pollock, O'Keefe, Lawrence, Benton, Hopper and Calder all recieve detailed representation. pBeing personally obsessed with the art of the Depression, I particularly valued the long, detailed chapter contained here.pMany hours have evaporated as I have lost myself in the many rich reproductions. This book, when enjoyed in union with Robert Hughes' excellent American Visions (which supplies the much needed rich prose), serves as a fine celebration of America's visual culture. A fine addition to any library.
 Less Art, More Culture November 29, 1999
Naomi DePlume (indianapolis, in USA)
9 out of 15 found this review helpful
This is a survey of American culture, as manifested in everything from travel books, film, dance, to the fine arts. It lurches from subject to subject at times, but its strength is that it places the fine arts in their cultural context.
 Amazing! A MUST HAVE for 20th Century Art lovers. May 9, 1999
TSantiago1@aol.com (Manhattan)
9 out of 15 found this review helpful
I pre-ordered this book from Amazon as soon as I read about the exhibit at the Whitney. Ths book is a wonderful compendium on art of the 20th Century and is loaded with information and great photos of what will become the classic works of the 20th Century.
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