This authoritative catalogue of the Corcoran Gallery of Art's renowned collection of pre-1945 American paintings will greatly enhance scholarly and public understanding of one of the finest and most important collections of historic American art in the world. Composed of more than 600 objects dating from 1740 to 1945.

"Emily Kame Kngwarreye (c. 1910-1996) was a senior member of the Anmatyerre community resident at Utopia, a former cattle station, now reclaimed by its Aboriginal land owners. She is widely regarded as one of the most notable Aboriginal artists of recent times and the pre-eminent woman artist of the desert region. The remarkable painterly and conceptual originality of her work extended her influence well beyond the previous reach of contemporary Aboriginal art and attracted widespread international interest." "This book looks at Emily Kngwarreye's paintings from very different viewpoints: Jennifer Isaacs approaches and explains their meaning as part of Anmatyerre women's culture, and gives a history of the art's development and patronage; Terry Smith examines the works as forming part of the leading edge of contemporary abstract painting; Judith Ryan describes and explores the major works by Emily Kngwarreye from the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria; and Donald and Janet Holt give personal accounts of Emily's art and life at Delmore Downs Station." --Book Jacket.