The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century
By Edward Dolnick
759.9492 DOL
Bitter that the critics rejected his artwork as being too “old fashioned,” Hans van Meegeren decided to pull off one of the most ridiculous and successful art forgery scams in history. Defying all conventional logic, he was able to sell his own “hideous” paintings for millions by claiming they were lost works by Johannes Vermeer, the beloved and revered Dutch painter. In addition to explaining how and why the forgeries were made, this book points out the fallibility and the hypocrisy of the so-called art experts who allowed such an obvious scam to be perpetrated in the first place.
A Life of Picasso: The Triumphant Years, 1917-1932
By John Richardson
B PICASSO z RIC v.III
This, the third and latest volume of John Richardson’s biography of Pablo Picasso, examines his ill-fated first marriage, his affair with a 17 year-old girl, his relationships with the other artists of his day, and how all of these things affected his artwork.
The Art of Ill Will: The Story of American Political Cartoons
By Donald Dewey
741.5358 DEW
Before TV and the Internet, there was a time when political cartoons played a critical role in influencing the public’s perceptions of political figures and current events. Through use of their technical skill, keen powers of observation, and sharp wits, cartoonists such as Thomas Nast and Joseph Keppler molded the opinions of the American people and lampooned the policies and personal shortcomings of many prominent politicians. Broken down into five categories (Presidents; Wars and Foreign Relations; Ethnic, Racial, and Religious Issues; Local and Domestic Politics; and Business and Labor), Donald Dewey invites the reader to look at important political cartoons from the past two centuries. For those of us who aren’t history majors, Dewey provides a brief explanation of each cartoon.
Art Explained
By Robert Cumming
ART 700 CUM
Have you ever been moved by a painting’s beauty yet completely baffled by what it was supposed to mean? In this handy book for the layman, Robert Cumming explains the symbols and artistic techniques found in 45 masterpieces by a diverse range of artists such as Bosch, Da Vinci, El Greco, Goya, Seurat, and Picasso.
30,000 Years of Art: the Story of Human Creativity Across Time and Space
ART 709 THI
One of humanity’s most fascinating and enduring traits is our need to create and express ourselves artistically. Starting with the earliest cave paintings, this large and ambitious book chronologically spans the history of art from all over the world, choosing 1,000 works to represent each significant movement and advancement. Each work is presented in full color on its own page, along with plenty of facts and historical information.
Pop Art: Contemporary Perspectives
By The Princeton University Art Museum
ART 709.04 POP
Should a painting of a can of soup be considered art? Various authors offer critical and contemporary examinations of the works of six key figures in the pop art movement: Robert Indiana, Alex Katz, Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, Andy Warhol, and Tom Wesselmann.
1,001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die
By Stephen Farthing
ART 759 ONE
This dramatically titled book serves as a more travel-friendly alternative to 30,000 Years of Art. Here, 1,001 astonishing paintings are presented, ranging from 1400 B.C. to 2006 A.D.