Whitney: American Visionaries

The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City boasts an extensive and unparalleled collection of 20th- and 21st-century American art. This landmark publication, featuring the work of more than 280 artists in all mediums, presents the highlights of this collection in superb colorplates. Organized by artist, the book underscores one of the Whitney's unique characteristics— its philosophy of collecting in depth, across the boundaries of artistic mediums. Although each artist is represented by at least one illustration, many are represented by works in several different mediums. Brief texts by the Whitney's curatorial staff as well as by outside experts in 20th-century American art set each artist's work within a larger art historical framework. An introduction by Maxwell L. Anderson, Director of the Whitney, discusses the history of the museum. This elegant book will be required reading for anyone interested in American art.

The past ten years have seen a wealth of good publications devoted to American art and, in particular, the formation of a uniquely American artistic identity. Expanding that list are two new publications, one from that bastion of American art, the Whitney Museum, and one from an unlikely source: an exhibition created and shown solely in France. Fresh, intelligent, informative, and wide-ranging, the Whitney's American Visionaries illuminates the work and careers of over 280 artists in the collection, from its earliest exhibitors to the big names of postwar American art to contemporary new media artists. Each entry includes a full-color reproduction of a work and a short text that considers both the specific work and the artist's larger role in American art. The introductory essay by Maxwell L. Anderson, the Whitney's director, traces the growth and evolution of this premier collection. This handbook adds nicely to the array of focused collection catalogs recently produced by the museum. Beginning in the early 20th century, American Art surveys its subject through the often-critical eyes of European (primarily French) art historians. The exhibition itself, one in a proposed series, was organized by FRAME (French Regional & American Museums Exchange), a loose organization of 18 French and American museums. The catalog presents 200 works (paintings, sculptures, prints, and photographs), with essays that provide important viewpoints on the development of a unique American art form as seen from a distinctly European perspective. Although the translation is a little awkward at times, the essays are beautifully and liberally illustrated with images from the exhibition. Both books are recommended for all libraries with American art historical collections, though American Art is best for academic and museum libraries, and American Visionaries will be most valued by libraries that do not have other recent collection catalogs from the Whitney. Kraig A. Binkowski, Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Maxwell L. Anderson, director of the Whitney Museum of American Art, recaps the history and mission of the museum. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney was a prescient, generous, and indefatigable advocate for progressive artists and was instrumental in helping American art find its identity, and she founded the first museum dedicated not only to exhibiting American art but to collecting it in depth. To illustrate the fruits of the museum's inclusiveness, works by 280 artists in the museum's permanent collection are presented in an alphabetical role call, accompanied by concise but gratifyingly informative summaries of the artist's life and oeuvre. From performance and video artist Vito Acconci to painter Andrew Wyeth, this handy resource covers the wild terrain of twentieth-century American art from the sublime to the ridiculous and back again. Donna Seaman
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