"The Hills' taste centers on the Florentine bronze, but their interests range to superb examples from northern Italy and Rome, as well as those from France and northern Europe. Giambologna, the great Flemish sculptor practicing in Florence in the late sixteenth century, is revered for the subtlety of his compositions and for his technical ability. He is well represented in the Hill collection through works from his own hand and those cast after his models by his assistant - and master in his own right - Antonio Susini."--"Director's foreword", p 8.

he revival of the bronze statuette popular in classical antiquity stands out as an enduring achievement of the Italian Renaissance. These small sculptures attest to early modern artists' technical prowess, ingenuity, and desire to emulate—or even surpass—the ancients. From the studioli, or private studies, of humanist scholars in fifteenth-century Padua to the Fifth Avenue apartments of Gilded Age collectors, viewers have delighted in the mysteries of these objects: how they were made, what they depicted, who made them, and when. This catalogue is the first systematic study of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture and Decorative Arts collection of Italian bronzes. The collection includes statuettes of single mythological or religious figures, complex figural groups, portrait busts, reliefs, utilitarian objects like lamps and inkwells, and more. Stunning new photography of celebrated masterpieces by leading artists such as Antico, Riccio, and Giambologna; enigmatic bronzes that continue to perplex; quotidian objects; later casts; replicas; and even forgeries show the importance of each work in this complex field. International scholars provide in-depth discussions of 200 objects included in this volume, revealing new attributions and dating for many bronzes. An Appendix presents some 100 more complete with provenance and references. An essay by Jeffrey Fraiman provides further insight into Italian bronze statuettes in America with a focus on the history of The Met's collection, and Richard E. Stone, who pioneered the technical study of bronzes, contributes an indispensable text on how artists created these works and what their process conveys about the object's maker. A personal reminiscence by James David Draper, who oversaw the Italian sculpture collection for decades, rounds out this landmark catalogue that synthesizes decades of research on these beloved and complex works of art.

Themes of the American West have been enduringly popular, and 'The American West in Bronze' features sixty-five iconic bronzes that display a range of subjects, from portrayals of the noble Indian to rough-and-tumble scenes of rowdy cowboys to tributes to the pioneers who settled the lands west of the Mississippi. Fascinating texts offer a fresh look at the roles that artists played in creating interpretations of the "vanishing West"--Whether based on fact, fiction or something in-between. These artists, including Charles M. Russell and Frederic Remington, embody a range of life experiences and artistic approaches."'The American West in Bronze, 1850-1925' is the first full-scale exhibition to explore the aesthetic and cultural impulses behind the creation of statuettes with American western themes, which have been so popular with audiences then and now. Both the exhibition and this accompanying catalogue offer a fresh look at the multifaceted roles played by these sculptors in creating three-dimensional interpretations of western life, whether based on historical fact, mythologized fiction, or most often, something in-between. Examples by such archetypal representatives of the West as Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell are complemented by the work of sculptors such as James Earle Fraser and Paul Manship, who contributed to the popularity of the American bronze statuette even though their western subjects were less frequent."--Publisher's description.

"Amon G. Carter (1879-1955) is one of the legendary men of Texas history. Born in a log cabin, he was self-made, becoming Fort Worth's leading citizen and champion. He developed an interest in the art of Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell through his friendship with Will Rogers. Carter's will provided for the establishment of a museum in Fort Worth devoted to the art of the American West. While the museum holds the most significant collection anywhere of works by Remington and Russell and is a pioneer in the field of western studies, it has evolved into one of the great museums of American art as a whole, focusing on artists working on successive frontiers, aesthetic as well as geographic. Its photography collection alone has grown to nearly one-quarter of a million objects." "The museum, designed by noted architect Philip Johnson, opened to the public in 1961. On the occasion of its fortieth anniversary, a substantially expanded building, also designed by Mr. Johnson, was inaugurated. This volume relates the museum's history and presents color and duotone illustrations of 125 of its masterworks dating from 1822 to 1998 (paintings, sculpture, prints, watercolors, pastels, drawings, and photographs), with an essay about each and a biography of each artist. It includes a number of landmark works recently added to the collection and unveiled here for the first time: paintings by John Singer Sargent, Stuart Davis, and Marsden Hartley; sculpture by Alexander Calder and Louise Nevelson; a daguerreotype by Southworth and Hawes; and photographs by Alfred Stieglitz, David Smith, Robert Adams, and Linda Connor."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved