20th century

One of the best-known artists of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, stage designer, poet, and playwright who spent most of his adult life in France. Picasso is often remembered for his cubist paintings, but he continued to experiment with new styles and materials throughout his life. During the 1950s and 1960s, Picasso commissioned Francois Hugo, great-grandson of French writer Victor Hugo, to execute a series of plates, dishes, and medallions in gold and silver. The plates were modeled after Picasso’s original ceramics designs.

Georges Braque was a major 20th-century French painter, sculptor, draughtsman, and printmaker. At the age of 79, Braque turned his attention to jewelry. He teamed up with master jeweler Baron Heger de Löwenfeld to turn 110 gouache maquettes into intricately textured gold sculptures inlaid with precious stones. The collection, inspired by Greek mythology, incorporates themes of flight and metamorphosis. The two artists worked so closely together that Braque referred to De Löwenfeld as the “continuation of my hand.”

The works of Lucas Samaras can be understood through one unifying principle: the artist’s “natural instinct for subversion.” Rather than springing from an urge to rebel, however, Samaras’ originality and nonconformity are centered in treating art as a mutable subject. Samaras spent two years crafting gold jewelry, modeling them first in chicken wire, then casting them in solid 22-karat gold.

Joseph H. Hirshhorn, founding donor of the Smithsonian Institution’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, was an avid collector and supporter of Picasso. The two became friends after being introduced by photographer Edward Steichen. The original dark purple cloth publisher's binding of this monograph is embossed with a gold gilt facsimile of Picasso’s signature.

Joseph H. Hirshhorn, founding donor of the Smithsonian Institution’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, was an avid collector and supporter of Pablo Picasso. The two became friends after being introduced by photographer Edward Steichen.

This charming binder served as the exhibition catalog for Man Ray’s second show at the Hanover Gallery in London (April-May 1969). The exhibition featured mid-career painting and sculpture from the 1940s and 50s, with clear stylistic references to Man Ray’s peers, such as De Chirico, Picabia, and Kandinsky. The metal ring binder is polished aluminum, silk-screened in bright red. The yellow-bordered pages include an essay by Man Ray, 17 illustrations (7 in full color), and a checklist.

René Maran was born in Martinique, educated in France, and served as a colonial administrator in the French colonies of West Africa.  In 1921, he won the Prix Goncourt for Batouala. He was the first black author to be so honored. Although the book's preface includes a blistering critique of French colonial abuses, Maran asserts that the novel is a story not of black against white, but simply of two men in a Banda village fighting over a woman.

This highly illustrated book is a masterpiece. Over 100 pages in length, it describes the evolution of African American artists over time. This book focuses on the late 1900s and spans through the first decade of the 21st century. This is a Smithsonian American Art Museum publication. A New York native, the author graduated from multiple Ivy League universities including Princeton University and Columbia University. Every chapter is illustrated with reprints of paintings by influential African American artists followed by an extensive bio of each artist.

The photos of the garden furniture shown in this book inspire ideas that make it easy to beautify the home grounds with attractive outdoor woodwork.

The Cooper Hewitt Library recently acquired two catalogs of 1930 Meissner Glasraffinerie glass shades for electrical light fixtures. Meissen-Glas. Nachtrag-Katalog Nr. 65 has 8 pages of illustrations, mostly in color. They advertise hanging light fixtures and wall sconces and came in a variety of designs. Many show the influence of the Bauhaus and Art Deco styles that were fashionable during this era.

A rare illustrated catalog detailing the curriculum, philosophy, and staff of the School of Design in Chicago –also known as The New Bauhaus.   The school was created by Hungarian born Bauhaus masters László Moholy-Nagy and Gregöry Kepes in 1937, both of whom had recently arrived in Chicago. Also included are several examples of photograms and innovative layouts by the aforementioned designers.  A copy of the catalog is currently on display at Moholy-Nagy exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City.   

Born in Chile, but settling in the United States in the mid-1960s, Juan Downey (1940-1993) explored many different art media. Although he became primarily known for his video art, he also created in other media, including painting, installations, and printmaking. Early in his career he studied in Chile, Spain, and then Paris, France where he focused on printmaking and painting. His early work already shows his interest in energy and concerns with navigating his Latin American heritage with his adopted home and ideals.

This portfolio volume (vol.1 of the work) contains 25 illustrations by the noted Native American artist Oscar Howe (Mazuha Hokshina). A Yanktonai Dakota artist trained at the Studio of Santa Fe Indian School, the Dakota Wesleyan University, and the University of Oklahoma, Howe is perhaps best known for his 1940s, New Deal-era Works Progress Administration (WPA) murals.

This portfolio volume (Vol. 2 of the work) contains 25 illustrations by the noted Native American artist Oscar Howe (Mazuha Hokshina). A Yanktonai Dakota artist trained at the Studio of Santa Fe Indian School, Dakota Wesleyan University, and University of Oklahoma. Howe is perhaps best known for his 1940s New Deal era Works Progress Administration (WPA) murals.