These masterpieces of Chinese painting from the past millennium--culled from the extensive collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston--are lucidly presented in this scholarly and beautifully illustrated catalogue. The pieces discussed range from historical allegories from the first century A.D., to breathtaking twelfth century landscapes, to precisely observed animal scenes from the era of the Yuan Dynasty--the finest examples of the world's oldest continuing painting tradition. Also considered are the relationships between Chinese painting and other forms of art, particularly calligraphy, which was of course central to traditional Chinese culture. An informed and comprehensive introduction by scholar Wu Tung sets the works in their historical and social contexts.

Tales from the Land of Dragons: 1,000 Years of Chinese Painting

Arts & Photography

Tung, Wu

History & Criticism

MFA Publications/Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Nolde: Watercolors in America

Ackley, Clifford S.

Although the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is well known for its extensive holdings of Chinese ceramics, many of the outstanding pieces in the collection have received little or no attention in print. This book remedies that omission. Designed for the general reader, it offers a selection of 78 objects, beautifully photographed in full color, with individual entries focusing on the aesthetic experiece they evoke and the cultural context that produced them. Featuring an essay on the history of the collection of Chinese ceramics, the book also includes brief sketches on the principal types as well as short texts about the archaeology of the tombs and kiln sites. An illustrated time line and a kiln map fill in the historical and geographical settings for nearly 5,000 years of Chinese ceramic art.

Earth Transformed: Chinese Ceramics In The Museum Of Fine Arts, Boston

On February 20th, 1909, a belligerent manifesto announcing the birth of the Futurist movement appeared on the front page of the Paris newspaper Le Figaro and sent immediate shockwaves throughout Europe. The author, a young Italian poet named F.T. Marinetti, demanded that writers and artists reject the classic art of the past and celebrate the dynamic technology of modern city life. Joined by a group of like-minded artists, over the following years Marinetti pioneered an art that would eulogise speed and industry, in a reaction against the stasis of the classics, and even against contemporary movements such as Cubism. Available in English for the first time in over 20 years, the Futurist Manifestos are fiery, explosive and witty, and crucial to any full appreciation of modern art.

Futurist Manifestos

Originally published in 1928 and augmented throughout the author's life, Surrealism and Painting is the single most important statement ever written on Surrealist art. While many pages have been devoted to visual Surrealism, this is the only book on the subject by the movement's founder and prime theorist. It contains André Breton's seminal treatise on the origins and foundations of artistic Surrealism, with his trenchant assessments of its precursors and practitioners, and his call for the plastic arts to "refer to a purely internal model," to excavate the "dark continent" of consciousness. Also included are essays--many of them classics in their own right--on Picasso, Duchamp, Kahlo, Dali, Ernst, Masson, Gorky, Picabia, Miro, Magritte, Kandinsky, Hantai and others, as well as pieces on Gallic art, outsider art and the folk arts of Haiti and Oceania. But above and beyond the subject matter, what makes this book so enduringly compelling is Breton's signature mixture of rigorous erudition and visceral passion, his sense of art as adventure, and his discoveries of many of Modernism's most prominent figures early in their careers. Long unavailable in English, Surrealism and Painting is not only a supremely exciting work of art criticism, but also one of the three or four indispensable references for any serious discussion of modern art.

Surrealism and Painting

André Breton

Marcel Duchamp: The Bachelor Stripped Bare is not the first full-length biography of Duchamp, but it is the first to present him in all his human contradictions and to take a refreshingly objective look at his real contribution to modern art. The well-known facts are explored here: Duchamp's myriad personal relations (with family, lovers, collectors and artists ranging from Man Ray, Picabia and Breton to the Stettheimer sisters and the Arensbergs); the creation of major works such as the "readymades" and the "Large Glass"; his passion for chess and supposed abandonment of art. But beyond this, author Alice Goldfarb Marquis looks past the diffident, humorous mask that Duchamp wore with acquaintance and intimate alike, to explore the passions and insecurities that motivated many of his artistic and personal evolutions. She separates the artist from the con artist, to determine just how profound an influence Duchamp has really been. Based on numerous unpublished sources and first-hand interviews, Marcel Duchamp: The Bachelor Stripped Bare stands as a groundbreaking contribution to the ever-burgeoning field of Duchamp studies.

Marcel Duchamp: The Bachelor Stripped Bare: A Biography

Alice Goldfarb Marquis

Malcolm Rogers, director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, here takes the reader on a virtual tour of the MFA's most outstanding masterworks. The objects presented cover a full range of times and cultures, from Yorumba veranda posts, Mayan drinking vessels and Asian decorative arts to paintings, sculptures, and prints by the likes of Hopper, O'Keeffe, Pollock, Homer, Rubens, Turner and many other old and modern masters. Based on the Director's Choice Audio Tour, one of the museum's most popular attractions, Director's Choice presents the best of the best, allowing both frequent visitors and those who have never set foot in the museum to enjoy its most notable treasures at leisure. Nothing can replace an actual visit, of course, but the combination of Rogers's authoritative and enthusiastic commentary and the large full-color reproductions of each object bring one as close as any book can come. Not only that, but the experience can be replayed again and again. A perfect souvenir and an ideal introduction, Director's Choice informatively and enjoyably demonstrates why the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is one of the world's leading cultural institutions.

Director's Choice: A Tour of Masterpieces in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

New Series MFA Highlights presents the best of the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in a new series of accessible, uniform paperback volumes. The aim of the series is threefold: to highlight the main holdings of the MFA's permanent collections in handsome, affordable editions; to provide an informed, readable overview of various segments of art, for use by students, visitors and scholars; and, over time, to create a library that will act as a general tour of world art. The first two titles in the series are American Painting and Arts of Egypt, to be followed by volumes on Musical Instruments, Photography, European Painting and Sculpture, European Decorative Arts, Contemporary Art, Textiles, Prints and Drawings, Modern Design, and the arts of China, Japan, Africa, India and the Islamic world. The look of these books is modern, but the content is timeless. Each book is approximately 250 pages, fully illustrated in color, bound in a uniform paperback format, and priced below $20.00. American Paintings features over 100 masterworks dating from 1670 to 1960 from the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The aritsts featured range from Copley, Whistler, Cassatt, and Sargent to Hopper, Marin, Gorky and Pollock. Divided according to chronology and genre, each of the book's 15 sections begins with a thematic introduction, followed by short discussions of individual paintings. Certain introductions narrate a history of American painting--from the earliest years of the British colonies to the mid-twentieth century, touching on such focal points as the American Revolution, westward expansion, the Civil War, and the two World Wars--while others more specifically discuss genres such as history painting, folk painting, portraiture, and still life. The narrative touches on broader themes as well, such as the American artists' relationship with European art, the establishment of indigenous painting styles, the role of patronage in American art, and the question of provincial vs. “high” art. Rich in both visual and textual content, American Paintings is a valuable and enjoyable resource for both the museum visitor and the general reader.

American Paintings: MFA Highlights

Hirshler, Erica

Some of the first mummies, monumental sculptures and other ancient Egyptian artifacts to come to America became part of the holdings of the Musem of Fine Arts, Boston, as early as 1872. Today, with over 60,000 objects, the MFA's Egyptian collection is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. This volume features over 100 of the most important of these objects, with texts by three prominent Egyptologists. Introductions to each major period of ancient Egyptian history provide an overview of the worshipped rulers, regional lords and myriad laborers who commissioned and created these beautiful works, as well as the political events, religious rituals, and technical accomplishments that helped shape them. Individual descriptions of each object tell of their original use and significance. Some, such as the rare bust of Ankhhaf, or the monumental stone sculpture of King Menkaure and his queen, have no equal anywhere. Others boast a unique local history, such as the Torso of King Achoris that was purchased as ballast by a Yankee sea captain and later displayed for sixty years on a postmaster's front lawn. Whatever one's interest, this book provides a tantalizing glimpse into the civilization that has fascinated the west since Antony first wooed Cleopatra.

Arts Of Ancient Egypt

The Studio Furniture movement began around the middle of the twentieth century, as a revival of the Victorian Arts and Crafts Movement, and as a reaction against the ongoing domination of mass-produced rote furniture. Over the course of subsequent decades, studio furniture has taken many directions, from the reproduction of period styles to designs that resemble sculpture more than furniture. The Maker's Hand is the most authoritative book to date about the Studio Furniture movement. It details the history and development of Studio Furniture, from its origins in post-World War II America to its current prominence. Also included are extensive biographies of some 40 furniture makers, as well as guides to the main exhibitions, schools and galleries. Profusely illustrated with works by Wendell Castle, Sam Maloof, Molly Gregory, Wharton Esherick and many others, this is an indispensable guide to the inventive world of Studio Furniture.

The Maker's Hand: American Studio Furniture, 1940-1990

Ward, Gerald W.R.

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