Chicago is a city dedicated to the modern—from the skyscrapers that punctuate its skyline to the spirited style that inflects many of its dwellings and institutions, from the New Bauhaus to Hull-House. Despite this, the city has long been overlooked as a locus for modernism in the arts, its rich tradition of architecture, design, and education disregarded. Still the modern in Chicago continues to thrive, as new generations of artists incorporate its legacy into fresh visions for the future. Chicago Makes Modern boldly remaps twentieth-century modernism from our new-century perspective by asking an imperative question: How did the modern mind—deeply reflective, yet simultaneously directed—help to dramatically alter our perspectives on the world and make it new? Returning the city to its rightful position at the heart of a multidimensional movement that changed the face of the twentieth century, Chicago Makes Modern applies the missions of a brilliant group of innovators to our own time. From the radical social and artistic perspectives implemented by Jane Addams, John Dewey, and Buckminster Fuller to the avant-garde designs of László Moholy-Nagy and Mies van der Rohe, the prodigious offerings of Chicago's modern minds left an indelible legacy for future generations. Staging the city as a laboratory for some of our most heralded cultural experiments, Chicago Makes Modern reimagines the modern as a space of self-realization and social progress—where individual visions triggered profound change. Featuring contributions from an acclaimed roster of contemporary artists, critics, and scholars, this book demonstrates how and why the Windy City continues to drive the modern world.

Provides a social history of early America by assembling and categorizing illustrations and descriptions of folk art, from needlework, to weathervanes, to pottery

Edited by Pepe Karmel. Text by Lynn Gumpert, Pepe Karmel, Alexandra Lange, Lytle Shaw.

The Realisms of Berenice Abbott provides the first in-depth consideration of the work of the photographer Berenice Abbott. She is best known for her 1930s documentary images of New York City, but in this book, Terri Weissman examines a broad range of Abbott's work, including her portraits from the 1920s, her little-known and uncompleted projects from the 1930s, and her experimental science photography from the 1950s. Weissman argues that Abbott consistently relied on realism as the theoretical armature for her work, even as her understanding of that term changed over time and in relation to specific historical circumstances. As Weissman demonstrates, Abbott's unflinching commitment to "realist" aesthetics led her to develop a critical theory of documentary that recognizes the complexity of representation without excluding or obscuring a connection between art and engagement in the political public sphere. In telling Abbott's story, The Realisms of Berenice Abbott reveals insights into the politics and social context of documentary production and presents a thoughtful analysis of why documentary remains a compelling artistic strategy today. --Book Jacket.

The Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery houses one of the most highly regarded collections of twentieth-century American art anywhere, including paintings by Edward Hopper, Georgia O'Keeffe, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, Marsden Hartley, Robert Motherwell, Robert Henri, Grant Wood, Frank Stella, and many more internationally renowned artists. Calling the Sheldon collection "exemplary," the art historian and critic Barbara Rose notes: "Because the collection does not reflect fashion, the misguided inspiration of much art collecting today, but is rather an effort of connoisseurship, and informed by an art historical viewpoint, it is certain to remain as durable and exciting tomorrow as it is today." The American Painting Collection of the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery offers for the first time a full description of the collection, now numbering more than one thousand works, that has been nearly a century in the making. The first part of the book presents full-color reproductions of 101 of the most noteworthy paintings in the collection, each accompanied by a brief discussion of the artist and his or her work. The second part, or catalog, consists of a complete inventory of the collection, including for each painting its physical description, provenance, exhibition history, and publication history, as well as a black and white reproduction. Publication of the book coincides with a year-long celebration of the centennial of the Nebraska Art Association, the Sheldon Gallery's support group and one of the oldest continuous arts organizations in the country.

Powerful and beautiful, the Mississippi River holds some of the nation's most interesting scenery and treasured history. Although the river had long been a channel for trade, the 1850s marked the transformation of the Mississippi River from a travel route to a vital conduit for cultural, artistic, and architectural ideas from Louisiana to Minnesota.Minneapolis Institute of Arts curators Jason Busch and Christopher Monkhouse have culled public and private collections to assemble an exhibition of fine and decorative arts from along the river during the period from 1850 to 1861, a time of unprecedented economic and technological change throughout the country. Currents of Change brings together art in all media: paintings, prints, drawings, furniture, silver, ceramics, textiles, and sculpture-many of which have never before been showcased in a national exhibition. Each of the 150 objects presented demonstrates the development of culture and design along the Mississippi River, honoring and preserving the artistic history of the era.The fully illustrated Currents of Change includes color plates and black-and-white photographs. Monkhouse, Busch, and Janet Whitmore, a freelance art historian, each contribute an essay to the publication. Monkhouse examines the development of America's artistic identity with the Mississippi River through Longfellow's Song of Hiawatha and Evangeline. Busch uses furnishings and portraits by artists like Thomas Sully and Alexander Roux to trace patterns of patronage and decoration along the river. Whitmore explores the Mississippi River landscape, people, and architecture in paintings by artists such as George Caleb Bingham and Henry Lewis.Jason Busch is assistant curator at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.Christopher Monkhouse is curatorial chair at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.Distributed for the Minneapolis Institute of Arts

A completely new illustrated volume presenting 55 paintings from the New-York Historical Society's superb collection of narrative art.

New York-based painter WilliamSteiger's focus is on fundamental representation of the American landscape. His subjects are industrial and recognizable--grain towers, cable cars, trains, and amusement park attractions. His graphic, distinctly schematized work is grounded in the traditions of classic American landscape painting and the machine-age Precisionism of figures like Charles Sheeler and Charles Demuth.

Offers insight into the work and methods of the celebrated American illustrator, describing with lavish reproductions of numerous works his efforts at the sides of skilled photographers who combined models, props, and locations that served as the basis of Rockwell's iconic images.