Susan A. Hobbs

Barbara D. Gallati

Is there anything more gorgeous, ethereal, lush, than a Thomas Dewing painting from the turn of the 20th century? No, no there’s not. This 1996 exhibition catalogue from a Brooklyn Museum show, features extensive information about the artist as well as a chapter on the frames. 

Heavy Paperback (2 to 4 lbs)

Beauty Reconfigured

The Art of Thomas Wilmer Dewing

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Annie Leibovitz

Alexandra Fuller

Large book with gorgeous images of Leibovitz at her best — portraits. 

Huge Hardcover (6 to 8 lbs)

In this new collection from Annie Leibovitz, one of the most influential photographers of our time, iconic portraits sit side by side never-before-published photographs. Afterword by Annie Leibovitz. Annie Leibovitz: Portraits 2005-2016 is the photographer's follow-up to her two landmark books, Annie Leibovitz: Photographs, 1970-1990 and A Photographer's Life, 1990-2005. In this new collection, Leibovitz has captured the most influential and compelling figures of the last decade in the style that has made her one of the most beloved talents of our time. Each of the photographs documents contemporary culture with an artist's eye, wit, and an uncanny ability to personalize even the most recognizable and distinguished figures.

Portraits 2005-2016

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Marco Bussagli

Insanely thorough book on art & architecture of Rome. Slight tear on book jacket edge (see photo). Priced low to find a new home & because it’s so heavy (aka, shipping) 

Mammoth Hardcover (8 to 10 lbs)

Art and Architecture

Rome

374a87bb-2f34-4386-84fd-5148cb43ec36-0

Paul O'Neill

Overview of the rise of the independent contemporary art curator, from 1960s up to the early 21st century. Published in 2012 by MIT Press

Once considered a mere caretaker for collections, the curator is now widely viewed as a globally connected auteur. Over the last twenty-five years, as international group exhibitions and biennials have become the dominant mode of presenting contemporary art to the public, curatorship has begun to be perceived as a constellation of creative activities not unlike artistic praxis. The curator has gone from being a behind-the-scenes organizer and selector to a visible, centrally important cultural producer. In The Culture of Curating and the Curating of Culture(s), Paul O'Neill examines the emergence of independent curatorship and the discourse that helped to establish it. O'Neill describes how, by the 1980s, curated group exhibitions--large-scale, temporary projects with artworks cast as illustrative fragments--came to be understood as the creative work of curator-auteurs. The proliferation of new biennials and other large international exhibitions in the 1990s created a cohort of high-profile, globally mobile curators, moving from Venice to Paris to Kassel. In the 1990s, curatorial and artistic practice converged, blurring the distinction between artist and curator. O'Neill argues that this change in the understanding of curatorship was shaped by a curator-centered discourse that effectively advocated--and authorized--the new independent curatorial practice. Drawing on the extensive curatorial literature and his own interviews with leading curators, critics, art historians, and artists, O'Neill traces the development of the curator-as-artist model and the ways it has been contested. The Culture of Curating and the Curating of Culture(s) documents the many ways in which our perception of art has been transformed by curating and the discourses surrounding it.

The Culture of Curating and the Curating of Culture(s)

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Steven Rand

Heather Kouris

Curious group of essays by major art writers & curators in the early 2000s, like Kate Fowle, Dave Hickey, and David Levi Strauss. Along with my insightful commentary written in the margins ;) Published in 2007 by apexart

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

Critical Curating

Ten international art related professionals consider the increased influence of independent curators and cultural producers and how the role of the curator has changed over the last ten years. Using examples from past exhibitions and personal experiences, the writers address how working within an institution differs from being independent, the difficulties of balancing artistic vision with expectations of funders and institutions, and the ethical issues of working with artists and collectors, among many other subjects. A resource text for students and others interested in the curatorial field, Cautionary Tales: Critical Curating will provide valuable and interesting reading for students considering a curatorial career and others interested in current trends in today's art world.

Cautionary Tales

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N. Elizabeth Schlatter

Oh look! A brilliant book by a brilliant author! (Me :) Anyway, this is an overall introduction to jobs in museums and includes extensive list of relevant professional organizations in the appendix. 

A Practical Guide for Students and Novices

Expert curator Elizabeth Schlatter outlines the types of jobs available within museums, the kinds of training needed, how to secure a job, and how to move up the ladder once you are working in the field.

Museum Careers

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A. C. Grayling

Very helpful introduction to Wittgenstein’s writings. Modest underlining in chapter two. 

A. C. Grayling's accessible introduction to Wittgenstein's work describes both his early and later philosophy, the differences and connections between them, and gives a fresh assessment of Wittgenstein's continuing influence on contemporary thought.

Wittgenstein: a Very Short Introduction

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Entertaining little book by Tom Wolfe explaining how mid-century fine art became focused on the ideas behind the work, as opposed to what the work presented. (E.g. why Monet’s waterlilies are so different than an abstract painting by Mark Rothko). 1975 edition with previous bookstore sticker on back. 

The Painted Word

Enric Jard

This slim book has all kinds of super helpful information and suggestions about fonts. It includes examples and is well designed (of course!). It’s an English edition of the original text in Spanish. Not easy to find! 

(That some designers will never reveal) 

A "recipe book" of tips for creating typography includes 22 recommendations for designing workable, legible typography while simultaneously identifying 22 common mistakes to avoid, in a guide that also reveals professional designer secrets.

Twenty Two Tips on Typography

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Judith Rugg

Published by Intellect Press in 2007 (this paperback version is from 2012), this is a series of 12 essays looking at contemporary art curation from a theoretical and theatrical perspective. Published via the Journal of Curatorial Studies. 

Paperback (1 to 2 lbs)

To stay relevant, art curators must keep up with the rapid pace of technological innovation as well as the aesthetic tastes of fickle critics and an ever-expanding circle of cultural arbiters. Issues in Curating Contemporary Art and Performance argues that, despite these daily pressures, good curating work also requires more theoretical attention. In four thematic sections, a distinguished group of contributors consider curation in light of interdisciplinary and emerging practices, examine conceptions of curation as intervention and contestation, and explore curation's potential to act as a reconsideration of conventional museum spaces. Against the backdrop of cutting-edge developments in electronic art, art/science collaboration, nongallery spaces, and virtual fields, contributors propose new approaches to curating and new ways of fostering critical inquiry. Now in paperback, this volume is an essential read for scholars, curators, and art enthusiasts alike.

Issues in Curating Contemporary Art and Performance

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Theory- based book by German art historian, looking at how art can become political or socially relevant, with focus on artists Jeff Koons, Daniel Buren, Tino Sehgal, and James Coleman. Published in 2010.

The Meaning of Art's Performativity

How to Do Things with Art

Calvin Tomkins

Easy-to-read book about 5 major artists of the 20th century in Europe and America. (Marcel Duchamp, John Tinguely, John Cage, Robert Rauschenberg, and Merce Cunningham). 1976 paperback edition

Five Masters of the Avant-Garde

An explanation of the avant garde via 5 great artists.

The Bride and the Bachelors

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Enjoyable book on American artist Robert Rauschenberg and fellow artists first published in 1980, this is the American edition from 1981. 

Elizabeth

@elizabeth148122

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Susan A. Hobbs; Barbara D. Gallati

The Art of Thomas Wilmer Dewing

Annie Leibovitz; Alexandra Fuller

Portraits 2005-2016

Marco Bussagli

Rome

Paul O'Neill

The Culture of Curating and the Curating of Culture(s)

Steven Rand; Heather Kouris

Cautionary Tales

N. Elizabeth Schlatter

Museum Careers

A. C. Grayling

Wittgenstein: a Very Short Introduction

Tom Wolfe

The Painted Word

Enric Jard

Twenty Two Tips on Typography

Judith Rugg

Issues in Curating Contemporary Art and Performance

Dorothea Von Hantelmann

How to Do Things with Art

Calvin Tomkins

The Bride and the Bachelors

Calvin Tomkins

Off the Wall

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Susan A. Hobbs; Barbara D. Gallati

The Art of Thomas Wilmer Dewing

Annie Leibovitz; Alexandra Fuller

Portraits 2005-2016

Marco Bussagli

Rome

Paul O'Neill

The Culture of Curating and the Curating of Culture(s)

Steven Rand; Heather Kouris

Cautionary Tales

N. Elizabeth Schlatter

Museum Careers

A. C. Grayling

Wittgenstein: a Very Short Introduction

Tom Wolfe

The Painted Word

Enric Jard

Twenty Two Tips on Typography

Judith Rugg

Issues in Curating Contemporary Art and Performance

Dorothea Von Hantelmann

How to Do Things with Art

Calvin Tomkins

The Bride and the Bachelors

Calvin Tomkins

Off the Wall

Get The App