The art of Toshiko Takaezu

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[introduction, Anne D'Harnoncourt

"This book chronicles the friendship and working relationship between Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) and Joseph Cornell (1903-1972), two of the twentieth century's most innovative and influential artists. Joseph Cornell/Marcel Duchamp...in resonance publishes for the first time the Duchamp Dossier (c. 1942-53) - a hitherto publicly unknown collection compiled by Cornell and discovered in the artist's estate following his death in 1972. The small objects, typed and handwritten notes, and ephemera found within the Duchamp Dossier provide an absorbing record of the interchange between these two artists, which included Cornell's assisting Duchamp on the assembly of his edition de ou par Marcel Duchamp ou Rrose Selavy (commonly referred to as the Boite-en-valise)." "Both artists were intrigued by the connection between art and the found object, and they shared a fascination with replicated images and the processes of reproduction. They had parallel interests in optical devices, ephemeral mediums (such as glass, dust, and paper), filmmaking, and graphic design. The book focuses in depth on Duchamp's box editions and Cornell's often neglected "explorations," arranged files of printed matter, notes, and ephemera related to individuals or specific themes."--BOOK JACKET.

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Jean Kennedy

"Although modern African literature and music have become well known in the West, through the contributions of such famous authors as Chinua Achebe and Bessie Head and such popular musicians as King Sunny Ade and Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the continent's vast body of modern visual arts has been little explored." "In New Currents, Ancient Rivers Jean Kennedy surveys African art of the last fifty years, offering an expansive perspective on the visual arts of the continent. Just as ancient rivers flow through the modern African landscape, so too do the rituals and traditions of the past run deeply through modern African art. The past is able to coexist in vibrant synthesis with the present largely because of a critical constant in African culture, the acceptance of change." "The culmination of twenty years' research, New Currents, Ancient Rivers is the largest survey of contemporary African art, presenting nearly 150 artists of sub-Saharan Africa, primarily from Nigeria, Senegal, Ethiopia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and South Africa--painters, sculptors, fiber artists, printmakers, and filmmakers. As Kennedy examines their artistic development, she shows the many ways the artists meld elements from modern life, the legacy of colonialism, foreign technology, the natural world, and the past to create art that may be divorced from the original purposes of ritual but that still embraces traditional rhythms. The author also briefly discusses the influence of the oral and literary traditions on the visual arts." "New Currents, Ancient Rivers is a tribute to the vitality and diversity of a continent and its peoples. This progressive book recognizes individual artists, many of whom are virtually unknown in Europe and the United States."--Jacket.

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K. Robert Schwarz

Minimalism is arguably the most popular style of concert music that the late-twentieth century has produced, appealing to the widest possible audience - fans of rock, jazz and classical music. But the minimalist aesthetic has not been lacking in controversy. To its detractors, it is maddeningly repetitive and single-minded, no better than pop music masquerading as art. To its adherents, it is ecstatic and vibrant, combining classical, popular and non-Western elements to create a style that restores the severed link between composer and audience. The two best-known minimalist composers, Americans Philip Glass and Steve Reich, are world-famous figures. But they can only properly be understood in the context of their predecessors (La Mome Young and Terry Riley) and their successors (John Adams, Meredith Monk, and Europeans such as Michael Nyman, Louis Andriessen, and Arvo Part). This book, the first overview of minimalism aimed at a general public, traces the lives of the minimalist composers, discusses their most significant works, and examines the artistic milieu from which they emerged.

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[text, Mikhaïl Guerman

Upon his return to Germany in 1921, Kandinsky developed his theory of the Science of Art in his book Concerning the Spiritual in Art in Weimar. The Bauhaus Period is the time of Kandinsky's most intense production when his genius would become better known to the world. This book allows us to discern the richness of Kandinsky's work through numerous canvases that have contributed to his international prestige as a painter.