3 comments about Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Gates: Central Park, New York City 1979-2005.

1. I was mad at myself for not going to New York to see this exhibit.
   This book helped me to be there.
   I promised myself not to miss the next exhibit.
   When you think about how they go about putting together an exhibit, Christo & Jeanne-Claude are phenomenal!
   This book will show you that.



2. Excellent collection of images of his most interesting completed works; Valley Curtain, Surrounded Islands, Running Fence, Umbrellas and the Gates. Also, some images from the upcoming Over the River project. Images are printed full size on large heavy stock and are suitable for framing. A brief project description is on the back of each sheet. Strongly recommended for any fan of Christo's work.



3. The images in this book are all that remain of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's Central Park outdoor art exhibit, The Gates, a massive, stunning and unforgettable project that was dismantled forever on Sunday, February 27, 2005, after a two-week run. This photographic chronicle is interspersed with prototype drawings and designs as well as reflections of the artists as they brought their project to life. Through "The Gates'" the couple created an artistic representation of two of our oldest cultural and religious totems: the myth of Hades and Persephone and that of Moses and the Burning Bush.
   
   The photos of a snow-covered Central Park in February with the naked, brown-grey trees - which lack depth but somehow yield shadows - reminded me of Hades; the orange gates reminded me of Persephone and her fateful pomegranates. Winter will yield to spring which will eventually yield right back to winter. Other photographs bring to mind the Biblical story of Moses with the orange gates looking like bushes blazing cross Central Park.
   
   The story of rebirth and redemption is expressed in literature and was exquisitively expressed in this outdoor art. Both stories, and about 4 million others based on crowd attendance figures, were told across Central Park for 16 short, sweet days. If you didn't have the personal experience, at least have the faithfully recorded one. And definitely plan on seeing their next art installation, Over The River, Project For Arkansas River, Colorado, (date tba) in person. You won't forget it or regret it.

1 comments about Instant Expert: Collecting Art Deco (Instant Expert).

1. Collecting Art Deco is a great, accessible, and useful guide to collectibles and decorative art from the Art Deco period, appropriate for any level of collector. It contains a multitude of resources within the field of collecting, as well as a complete guide to what to collect and how to identify Art Deco. Collectors will find complete in-depth information, simplified in one book that is user-friendly and compact. Collecting Art Deco covers furniture, sculpture, metalware, prints and graphics - all different types of collectibles and decorative art that fall under the category of Art Deco.

   The book is divided into easy-to-use chapters, with helpful sections on recognizing Art Deco, understanding today's market, identifying fakes, and understanding a collectible's value. There are chapters that focus on furnishings, sculpture, glass, prints, industrial design and more, with lots of black and white pictures throughout the book. In the back, there are invaluable resources such as a directory of art deco dealers, art deco societies, a bibliography and the Instant Expert Quiz, which tests how much you have learned from the book.

   All in all, if you are looking for introductory information about Art Deco that is in-depth and comprehensive, look no further than Collecting Art Deco; as the tagline says, it will help you to "Think like an Expert."

No comments about Official Price Guide to Fine Art: 2nd Edition.

1 comments about Hislop's Official International Price Guide to Fine Art (Hislops Official International Price Guide to Fine Art).

1. I remember Hislop this way: His Love Of Paintings!
   It sure fits because his IS the best art price guide, no doubt.

No comments about Rodin: At the Musee Rodin.

No comments about Great Nudes: 24 Art Cards.

No comments about Tudor England: Archaeological and Decorative Art Collections in the Ashmolean Museum from Henry VII to Elizabeth I.

1 comments about Soapstone : a Price Guide (Collector's Digest).

1. This book has some nice pictures of soapstones, there measurments and values. That is all the information you get. I really don't know how many varieties of soapstone there are, but I wish there were more in this book.

No comments about Tomart's Value Guide to Disney Animation Art: An Easy-To-Use Compilation of over 40 Animation Art Auctions O by Film, Character and Art Type.

2 comments about Dream of Santa: Haddon Sundblom's Advertising Paintings for Christmas, 1932-1964.

1. It didn't take the world long, in the thirties, to accept that the man in the Christmas Coke ads was Santa and this delightful book displays Haddon Sundblom's paintings over thirty-three years. If you see a tall, thin man dressed in red and carrying a sack of toys the chances are that it was painted before 1933. Sundblom wisely thought a fat jovial looking guy had more credability than a thin one.
   
   Wonderful though this book is I wish the authors had gone the extra mile and made it a comprehensive study of his Santa paintings, his work for the years 1941, 1957 and 1963 are missing. The text refers to alternative paintings created in some years to fit the various media used (billboards, magazines ads and retail unit cutout figures etc) some of these paintings are shown but not all. Most of the paintings are shown without advertising copy, I would like to see how the copy or headlines were used, a small reproduction would have been useful. They could have reproduced the back cover of the The National Geographic which Coke used every December for a Sundblom Santa ad.
   
   A lovely book but I am disappointed that the full potential of the subject was not realised.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.



2. I've been searching for years,for a book about Haddon Sundblom's Santa's. The people who really should buy this book are art lovers,who think that Victorian/Edwardian Santa's were the best. I would rate Sundblom's Santa's with the masters of long ago, and personally think he was a genius of OUR time. The text against each large colourful picture is short,and very informative. The only reason I have'nt given it all 5 stars,is because it does'nt have all the Santa's Sundblom painted. I do hope there will be another volume containing all the missing paintings.

   Best wishes, Ray. P.S.It's Christmas every day in my house!