New notable additions to AA/PG library in April

Moran, Michael F.  Striking Change: The Great Artistic Collaboration of Theodore Roosevelt and Augustus Saint-Gaudens.  Atlanta: Whitman, 2008.  432 p. 

N40.1.S13 M67 2008

Instrumental in creation of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, President Theodore Roosevelt was also a strong supporter of American artists.  This interest in art was also key in his decision to redesign all United States coins in 1905 after meeting with the great American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens.  Saint-Gaudens’s commission resulted in some of the most collectible coins from the United States: the $10 Miss Liberty in an Indian headdress and the $20 gold double eagle. This book provides new look at the life of Saint-Gaudens and the partnership he created with Theodore Roosevelt to reinvigorate the coinage of the United States.

Cozzolino, Robert, Marshall N. Price, and M. Melissa Wolfe.  George Tooker.  London: Merrell, 2008.  191 p.

N40.1.T669 N38 2008

The works of George Tooker (born 1920) are both beautiful and haunting. Associated with the American Magic Realism style which bucked the increasing popularity of abstraction in the mid-twentieth century, Tooker works in egg tempera, a medium that requires meticulous application.  Drawing on Surrealism, Tooker examines modern life with still images that have an unsettling air.  His works are mysterious, complex and often full of tension, suggesting far more than what is simply depicted on the canvas. This catalog coincides with the first major retrospective of Tooker’s work in 30 years.

 Eliasoph, Philip.  Robert Vickrey: The Magic of Realism.  New York: Hudson Hills, 2008.  227 p.

N40.1.V64 E4r 2008

Includes foreword by SAAM Senior Curator Virginia Mecklenburg.

Another artist that works in the exacting medium of tempera, Robert Vickrey also emerged in the American art scene when abstract expressionism was rising to predominance.  Although a realist, Vickrey incorporates surrealist elements into his work, often creating a sense of mystery. This is especially true in his depictions of nuns. Additionally, beginning in 1957, TIME magazine commissioned Vickrey to paint portraits for many of its covers (many of which are now part of the National Portrait Gallery’s collection). This book covers the entire career of the artist reproducing many of his works in full color.—Doug Litts

Comments

[Desktopvirtualgirl]

American Magic Realism style - never heard about such a style..