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Department of Art History and Art Faculty Publications
Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen, Cleveland's Free Stamp by Edward J. Olszewski
“Free Stamp” is a significant outdoor sculpture by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, commissioned by Sohio in 1985 for its Cleveland headquarters. Despite initial rejection by the city following BP’s acquisition of Sohio, the piece now resides in Willard Park. Edward J. Olszewski’s study explores its creation from initial sketches to installation, offering a unique insight into the artists’ process.
ISBN: 0821422715
Publication Date: 2017
Thomas Hart Benton by Henry Adams
Discusses Thomas Hart Benton's career in a series of essays, including his feuds with the radical left, his fall from grace in the New York art scene, and his love-hate relationship with Jackson Pollock. Adams also touches on his efforts to expose fake Benton works.
ISBN: 0826220509
Publication Date: 2015
Worlds Within by Elina Gertsman
In Worlds Within, Elina Gertsman investigates the Shrine Madonnas, or Vierges ouvrantes—sculptures that conceal within their bodies complex carved and/or painted iconographies. The Shrine Madonna emerged in Europe at the end of the 1200s and reached a peak of popularity during the following three centuries. Gertsman argues that the appearance of these objects—predicated as they are on the dynamic of concealment, revelation, and fragmentation—points to the changing roles of vision and sensation in the complex, performative ways in which audiences were expected to engage with devotional images, both in public and in private. Worlds Within considers these fascinating sculptures in terms of the rhetoric of secrecy, the discourse of containment, and the tropes of unveiling. Gertsman demonstrates how the statues were associated with the processes of seeing and memory-making and how they functioned as instruments of revelatory knowledge and spiritual reformation in the context of late medieval European culture.
ISBN: 9780271064017
Publication Date: 2015
Jackson Pollock's Mural by Yvonne Szafran; Laura Rivers; Alan Phenix; Thomas Learner; Ellen G. Landau; Steve Martin
**Jackson Pollock's "Mural" (1943)** is a landmark in the artist's career and a precursor to Abstract Expressionism. Commissioned by Peggy Guggenheim for her New York home, it's shrouded in myths, like being painted in a single night. Despite the rumors, its impact is undisputed, influencing a generation of artists with its boundary-pushing approach. Donated to the University of Iowa and later conserved at the Getty Center, the painting's study revealed new insights into Pollock's methods, which are discussed in this book.
ISBN: 9781606063231
Publication Date: 2014
Mexico and American Modernism by Ellen G. Landau
highlights the impact of Mexican art and political movements on American artists like Philip Guston, Robert Motherwell, Isamu Noguchi, and Jackson Pollock. The book reveals how their engagement with Mexican muralists and Surrealists shaped Abstract Expressionism and the New York School, offering a fresh perspective on modern art’s evolution.
ISBN: 9780300169133
Publication Date: 2013
Abe Frandjlich by Henry Adams
This book collects portrait photographs of famous contemporary photographers from Ansel Adams to Minor White taken over more than 20 years.
ISBN: 9783829605595
Publication Date: 2011
Tom and Jack by Henry Adams
A groundbreaking portrait of the intense personal and artistic relationship between Thomas Hart Benton and Jackson Pollock, revealing how their friendship transformed American art.
ISBN: 1596914203
Publication Date: 2009
World Art History and Its Objects by David Carrier
Explores the challenges of writing a multicultural art history and the shifts in meaning when art from one culture is integrated into another’s visual tradition. The book proposes using temporal narrative as a starting point for understanding a multicultural art history.
ISBN: 0271034157
Publication Date: 2009
Art and Power in the Central African Savanna: Luba, Songye, Chokwe, Luluwa by Constantijn Petridis; Menil Collection, Staff (Contribution by); Cleveland Museum of Art Staff (Contribution by)
Catalog of an exhibition held at the Menil Collection, Houston, Sept. 26, 2008-Jan. 4, 2009; Cleveland Museum of Art, Mar. 1-Jun. 7, 2009; de Young Museum, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Jun. 27-Oct. 11, 2009.
ISBN: 0940717948
Publication Date: 2008
Proust/Warhol: Analytical Philosophy of Art by David Carrier
Marcel Proust and Andy Warhol were two important modernist artists who developed aesthetic theories. Comparing their ways of thinking can reveal much about their art, including the relationship between their homosexuality and their creations. The book "Proust/Warhol: Analytical Philosophy of Art" uses three intellectual tools to explore their work and concludes with a discussion of the relationship between art and fashion.
ISBN: 1433104334
Publication Date: 2008
Andrew Wyeth by Henry Adams
This book presents drawings that Andrew Wyeth retained for his collection that are preliminary to well-known paintings. Covering more than five decades, from 1951 to 2005, they range from portraits of family members and friends to vibrant depictions of objects, landscapes, and buildings in and around the artist's homes in Pennsylvania and Maine.
ISBN: 0295986158
Publication Date: 2006
Sean Scully by David Carrier
This comprehensive monograph provides a detailed account of Sean Scully's life and career, from his upbringing in London during the 1950s to his current residence in Munich. The text is accompanied by reproductions of his works, showcasing his art in its full glory, while the artist's photographs offer a glimpse into the inspiration behind his creations.
ISBN: 0500286264
Publication Date: 2006
Eakins Revealed by Henry Adams
A critical biography that delves into the complex and darker aspects of Thomas Eakins’s life and art, challenging the perception of him as a paragon of integrity and revealing personal conflicts and controversial behavior.
ISBN: 0195156684
Publication Date: 2005
Reading Abstract Expressionism by Ellen G. Landau
A comprehensive anthology that captures the essence of the pivotal art movement, with critical writings from its 1940s roots to today. Ellen G. Landau’s introduction dissects the debates that defined the era, followed by key texts from artists like Rothko and Pollock, reflecting the movement’s enduring influence on modern art.
ISBN: 0300106130
Publication Date: 2005
South of the Sahara by Constantine Petridis
Explores the rich diversity and the interplay between traditional and contemporary forms. It addresses misconceptions about African art’s history and style and contrasts local aesthetic values with Western perspectives.
ISBN: 0940717794
Publication Date: 2004
Writing about Visual Art by David Carrier
David Carrier examines the history and practice of art writing and reveals its importance to the art museum, the art gallery, and aesthetic theory.
ISBN: 1581152612
Publication Date: 2003
The English Garden and National Identity by Anne Helmreich
This book examines styles and forms of garden design in England from1870-1914. Focusing on the wild garden, the cottage garden, the formal garden, and the synthesis of the formal and natural styles.
ISBN: 0521592933
Publication Date: 2002
Rosalind Krauss and American Philosophical Art Criticism by David Carrier
Provides a comprehensive overview of Rosalind Krauss’s career and her impact on American art criticism, tracing its evolution from formalism to postmodernism. It offers an analytical and accessible examination of her work and the broader discourse, serving as a key resource for understanding the shifts in art criticism and its historical context.
ISBN: 0275975207
Publication Date: 2002
Jackson Pollock by Ellen G. Landau
This book looks at Pollock's personal life, creative work, and cultural milieu as discrete elements that produce a gradually developing image, not always in accord with the public's view of Pollock as a rebellious cowboy or counterculture loner.
ISBN: 0810937026
Publication Date: 1989
The Draftsman's Eye by Edward J. Olszewski
This study considers the function of draftsmanship in the studios of the great Italian Renaissance masters, based on examples of approximately 120 drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art and other collections.
ISBN: 0910386471
Publication Date: 1981
Antiquity and Medieval Art
The Architecture of the Roman Triumph by Maggie L. Popkin
Through case studies ranging from the republican to imperial periods, this book demonstrates how powerfully monuments shaped how Romans performed, experienced, and remembered triumphs and, consequently, how Romans conceived of an urban identity for their city.
ISBN: 9781107103573
Publication Date: 2016
Parmigianino's Madonna of the Long Neck: A Grace Beyond the Reach of Art by Edward J. Olszewski
The study provides a detailed analysis of Parmigianino’s “The Madonna of the Long Neck”, exploring beyond its mannerist style to its iconographic and semiotic meanings. It suggests the Virgin’s elongation symbolizes mercy, aligning with Ecclesiasticus’ litany. The work is seen as an Immaculate Conception, a concept not yet dogmatically defined, allowing artistic freedom.
ISBN: 0871692694
Publication Date: 2014
Crying in the Middle Ages by Elina Gertsman (Editor)
examines the multifaceted role of weeping across Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions, offering insights into the medieval understanding of emotions and their expression. It highlights the importance of integrating language, imagery, and experience to fully grasp the concept of tears in historical cultural practices.
ISBN: 9780415744195
Publication Date: 2013
Women in the Ancient World by Jenifer Neils
Reexamines the portrayal of women in the ancient world. Bursting with illustrations, it features striking images of sculptures, wall paintings, ceramics, mummy cases, engravings, silver, and jewels—spanning from public art to domestic artifacts. Across various ancient cultures, the book unveils the multifaceted roles and activities of women.
ISBN: 0714150770
Publication Date: 2011
The Dance of Death in the Middle Ages by Elina Gertsman
Explores the Dance of Death, a medieval concept illustrating death’s universality. It examines its theological and socio-historical context, and how it engages viewers, urging an interactive experience with its imagery and texts.
ISBN: 9782503530635
Publication Date: 2010
The British Museum Concise Introduction to Ancient Greece by Jenifer Neils
Offers a critical examination of the 1950s to understand Tibet-China politics, drawing on new archives and interviews with key figures, including the Dalai Lama. It provides insight into the era’s geopolitical dynamics, influencing contemporary Sino-Tibetan relations.
ISBN: 9780472033294
Publication Date: 2008
Visualizing Medieval Performance: Perspectives, Histories, Contexts by Elina Gertsman
This volume delves into the intricate interplay between medieval images, texts, theater, and modes of viewing, reading, and listening. From diverse scholarly perspectives—art history, religion, history, literary studies, theater studies, music, and dance—the contributors reevaluate the multifaceted expressions and definitions of medieval performance across various media
ISBN: 9780754664369
Publication Date: 2008
The Parthenon Frieze by Jenifer Neils
Provides an in-depth examination of the Parthenon Frieze which decodes its visual language, but also analyzes its conception and design, style and content, and impact on the visual arts over time. Unique in its wide-ranging approach, The Parthenon Frieze also brings ethical reasoning to bear on the issue of repatriation as part of the ongoing debate on the Elgin Marbles.
ISBN: 0521641616
Publication Date: 2001
Worshipping Athena: Panathenaia and Parthenon by Jenifer Neils
Delves into the complexities surrounding the Panathenaia, challenging assumptions and addressing various issues related to interpretation and understanding. It offers valuable insights for scholars and students interested in ancient religion, mythology, art, literature, and gender issues.
ISBN: 0299151107
Publication Date: 1996
Goddess and Polis: The Panathenaic Festival in Ancient Athens by Jenifer Neils
A comprehensive exploration of the Panathenaia, an ancient Athenian festival honoring Athena, rivaling the Olympics in splendor. It details the festival’s art, rituals, and athletic events, including the role of women in creating the peplos, and the procession’s influence on Athenian art and society, as depicted on the Parthenon frieze.
ISBN: 0691036128
Publication Date: 1993
Exhibition Catalogs
Adams, H., Tyler Museum of Art, Wyeth, V., El Paso Museum of Art, Tomio, K., & Resnik, L. (2012). The Wyeths Across Texas. Mona Bismarck Foundation.
Adams, H., Waldman, L., Eyerdam, P. J., & Cleveland Public Library. (2011). Out of the Kokoon.