The Art Shelf

Renaissance Secrets
Maurizio De Luca, author
Jason Cardone, translator
Getty Publications
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 500, Los Angeles, CA 90049-1682 www.getty.edu/publications
9781606067994, $35.00, PB, 160pp

https://www.amazon.com/Renaissance-Secrets-Lifetime-Paintings-Michelangelo/= dp/1606067990

Synopsis: Beginning in the late 1400s, the greatest artists of Renaissance = Italy were summoned to Rome, where they were employed decorating the walls = and ceilings of the Vatican. Expert restorer Maurizio De Luca spent his for= ty-year career in the Vatican Museums, including fifteen years as head rest= orer of the Painting Restoration Laboratory. He personally oversaw some of = the most important restorations of the last half century, including wall pa= intings by Perugino, Botticelli, and others on the walls of the Sistine Cha= pel; the Pintoricchio wall paintings in the Borgia Apartments; the Raphael = Rooms; and the last two frescoes by Michelangelo, in the Pauline Chapel at = the Apostolic Palace.

With the publication of "Renaissance Secrets: A Lifetime Working with Wall = Paintings by Michelangelo, Raphael, and Others at the Vatican", an accessib=
le and copiously illustrated coffee-table style paperback (8.25 x 0.3 x 11 = inches, 1.11 pounds) volume, De Luca conveys the kind of knowledge that can=
only be derived from close personal observation. The reader is offered a s= tunningly intimate perspective that illuminates the distinctive expressive = challenges, choices, and techniques of each artist and demonstrates how the=
conservation process enriches the understanding and interpretation of thes=
e iconic works.

Critique: Magnificently and profusely illustrated in full color throughout,=
combined with an impressively informative commentary and captioning, "Rena= issance Secrets: A Lifetime Working with Wall Paintings by Michelangelo, Ra= phael, and Others at the Vatican" is unreservedly recommended for inclusion=
into personal, professional, community, college, and university library It= alian Renaissance Art History collections and supplemental curriculum studi=
es lists.

Editorial Note#1: Maurizio De Luca was head restorer at the Painting Restor= ation Laboratory at the Vatican Museums at the time of his retirement in 20= 10. (https://shop.getty.edu/products/renaissance-secrets-a-lifetime-working= -with-wall-paintings-by-michelangelo-raphael-and-ot hers-at-the-vatican-978= 1606067994)

Editorial Note #2: Jason Cardone (https://aur.edu/faculty/professor-jason-c= ardone) is an Adjunct Professor at the American University of Rome.

Balthazar
Kristen Collins, editor
Bryan C. Keene, editor
Getty Publications
www.getty.edu/publications
9781606067857, $40.00, PB, 152pp

https://www.amazon.com/Balthazar-Black-African-Medieval-Renaissance/dp/1606= 067850

Synopsis: According to the Gospel of Matthew, magi from the East, following=
a star, traveled to Jerusalem bearing precious gifts for the infant Jesus.=
The magi were revered as wise men and later as kings. Over time, one of th=
e three came to be known as Balthazar and depicted as a Black man.

Balthazar was familiar to medieval Europeans, appearing in paintings, manus= cript illuminations, mosaics, carved ivories, and jewelry. But the origin s= tory of this fascinating character uncovers intricate ties between Europe a=
nd Africa, including trade and diplomacy as well as colonization and enslav= ement.

With the publication of "Balthazar: A Black African King in Medieval and Re= naissance Art" experts in the fields of Ethiopian, West African, Nubian, an=
d Western European art explore the representation of Balthazar as a Black A= frican king. They examine exceptional art that portrays the European fantas=
y of the Black magus while offering clues about the very real Africans who = may have inspired these images.

Along the way, the contributors chronicle the Black presence in premodern E= urope, where free and enslaved Black people moved through public spaces and=
courtly circles. The volume's lavish illustrations include selected works =
by contemporary artists who creatively challenge traditional depictions of = Black history.

Critique: A magnificent coffee-table style (9781606067857, 1.11 pounds) vol= ume, "Balthazar: A Black African King in Medieval and Renaissance Art" is a=
n inherently fascinating and informative art history presentation that is u= nreservedly recommended as a prized addition to personal, professional, com= munity, college, and university Medieval/ Renaissance Art History collectio=
ns and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note #1: Kristen Collins is curator of manuscripts at the J. Paul=
Getty Museum. (https://www.curatorialleadership.org/participants/ccl-progr= am/kristen-collins)

Editorial Note #2: Bryan C. Keene (https://smarthistory.org/author/dr-bryan= -c-keene) is an Assistant Professor of Art History at Riverside City Colleg=
e and a former Associate Curator of Manuscripts at the J. Paul Getty Museum=
.. He specializes in codex cultures of a global Middle Ages and fantasy medi= evalisms.

Noguchi
Fabienne Eggelhofer, editor
Rita Kersting, editor
Florence Ostende, editor
Prestel Publishing
www.prestel.com
9783791379791, $55.00, PB, 304pp

https://www.amazon.com/Isamu-Noguchi-Fabienne-Eggelh%C3%B6fer/dp/3791379798

Synopsis: Now available in paperback, "Noguchi" is the definitive explorati=
on of the multidisciplinary career of Isamu Noguchi, one of the most experi= mental and pioneering artists of the 20th century.

Encompassing the entirety of Noguchi's work in sculpture, ceramics, photogr= aphy, architecture, design, as well as the artist's playscapes, gardens and=
stage sets for modern dance and theatre performance, this superbly illustr= ated survey explores Noguchi's creative process and lesser-known aspects of=
his practice, his engagement with a wide range of mediums and cultures, an=
d his innovative achievements over six decades.

Brimming with imagery and contributions from an international range of auth= ors, "Noguchi" helps the reader to grasp the diversity and patterns of Nogu= chi's work both in situ and in galleries. Archival photographs of the artis= t's studios offer glimpses into his experimental attitude towards sculpture=
.. Themes of harmony and dissonance, which were central to his practice, are=
explored in a series of essays that consider the artist's dual heritage, t=
he Japanese American experience, his worldwide travel and his many influenc= es.

"Noguchi" also pays tribute to Noguchi's fruitful collaborations with creat= ives from a range of industries, such as R. Buckminster Fuller, Martha Grah=
am and Louis Kahn.

Throughout the monograph Noguchi's own words provide a critical backdrop to= wards understanding an artist who embraced many schools of thought, and who=
se entire life and career set an example for partnership and cooperation ac= ross artistic, political and cultural boundaries.

Critique: Offering a complete chronology of Isamu Noguchi's work, "Noguchi"=
by the editorial team of Fabienne Eggelhofer (Chief Curator at Zentrum Pau=
l Klee, Bern), Rita Kersting (Deputy Director at the Museum Ludwig, Cologne=
), and Florence Ostende (Curator at the Barbican Art Gallery, London) is a = truly splendid coffee-table style (9.06 x 0.9 x 10.63 inches, 3.02 pounds) = volume that will have a particular appeal to readers with an interest in sc= ulpture. Informative, profusely illustrated, "Noguchi" is unreservedly reco= mmended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Art & S= culpture collections.

Jean-Michel Basquiat: Of Symbols and Signs
Dieter Buchhart, editor
Antonia Hoerschelmann, editor
Prestel Publishing
www.prestel.com
9783791379579, $55.00, HC, 216pp

https://www.amazon.com/Jean-Michel-Basquiat-Symbols-Dieter-Buchhart/dp/3791= 379577

Synopsis: Jean-Michel Basquiat (December 22, 1960 - August 12, 1988) was an=
American artist who rose to success during the 1980s as part of the Neo-ex= pressionism movement.

Basquiat's symbolic, complex, and often emotionally charged work made a hug=
e impact on the 1980s downtown New York City art scene. And though his all-= too-brief career ended when he died at age 27, Basquiat left behind an enor= mous legacy -- not only in the number of works he produced, but also in the=
messages he encoded around political, social, racial, and cultural issues.

With the publication of "Jean-Michel Basquiat: Of Symbols and Signs" by the=
editorial team of Dieter Buchart (an international guest curator and Basqu= iat specialist) and Antonia Hoerschelmann (Curator for Modern and Contempor= ary Art at the Albertina Museum, Vienna), the reader is shown how Basquiat = used an intricate network of signs and symbols to challenge the very system=
that made him a darling of the art world.

"Jean-Michel Basquiat: Of Symbols and Signs" also traces his inspiration fr=
om cartoons, children's drawings, and advertising as well as his own Haitia=
n and Puerto Rican heritage; discusses the influence of African-American, A= frican, and Aztec cultural histories; and shows how Basquiat incorporated i= nto his work classical themes and contemporary icons ranging from athletes =
to musicians. What becomes clear is how, even as a young man, Basquiat had =
a profound understanding of the artist's role in art history, and of his un= ique position as a young Black artist in a world of racism, suppression and=
social injustice.

"Jean-Michel Basquiat: Of Symbols and Signs" will help the reader in decodi=
ng Basquiat's unique lingua franca, an intoxicating body of work brimming w= ith social commentary that was in turns incisive, angry, comic, hip, and he= artbreaking, and that remains powerful and meaningful today.

Critique: An impressive compendium of presentation and analysis of his art,=
"Jean-Michel Basquiat: Of Symbols and Signs" is a coffee-table style (10 x=
0.93 x 12.13 inches, 3.44 pounds) volume that is as thoughtful and it is t= hought-provoking. It is one that is exceptionally informative and very high=
ly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library = 20th Century American Art History collections.

Women Street Artists
Alessandra Mattanza, author
Prestel Publishing
www.prestel.com
9783791388953, $39.95, HC, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Women-Street-Artists-Contemporary-Graffiti/dp/379138= 8959

Synopsis: If street graffiti and mural art is, in itself, an act of rebelli= on, it is tragically ironic that the genre seems dominated by men. With the=
publication of "Women Street Artists: 24 Contemporary Graffiti and Mural A= rtists from around the World" by journalist Alessandra Mattanza takes an im= portant first step in shedding light on the substantial number of women who=
are gaining fame in the street art world. She brings together the work of =
24 artists, through dazzling photographs of their work and intimate portrai=
ts of their lives based on her interviews with them.

On walls, sidewalks, prison cells, grain silos and other nontraditional can= vases, these are artists who tackle ideas around empowerment, feminism, the=
pink revolution, body shaming and body imagery, racism, and the climate cr= isis. From Oklahoma City and Brooklyn, Tatyana Fazlalizadeh makes site spec= ific work that considers how people experience race and gender within their=
surrounding environments.

South African multidisciplinary artist Faith XLVII imbues her narratives wi=
th a longing for a deeper connection to nature, and a resurrection of the d= ivine feminine. Italy's Camilla Falsini incorporates joyful, bold colors an=
d simple shapes to deliver serious messages about the environment. Shamsia = Hassani, one of Afghanistan's first female street artists, makes vibrant mu= rals and paintings in which women play musical instruments as a vehicle for=
self-expression.

Bursting with colorful photographs of works in situ as well as in detail, t= his thrilling and incisive and massively illustrated volume proves that str= eet art is not only female -- it's the essence of conceptual rebellion itse= lf!

Critique: An impressive coffee-table style (9.38 x 1.1 x 12.13 inches, 3.88=
pounds) volume showcasing the work of 24 contemporary female graffiti and = mural artists from around the world, "Women Street Artists" is informativel=
y enhanced with a Foreword by Stephanie Utz (founder of the Munich based Mu= seum of Urban and Contemporary Art) and an inherently fascinating study tha=
t is a unique, prized, and recommended addition to personal, professional, = community, and academic library Contemporary Art History and Graffiti/Stree=
t Art/Pop Culture collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Alessandra Mattanza (https://alessandramattanza.com) is a f= oreign correspondent, contributor, and editor for several publishers in Ita=
ly and Germany. Her previous books are "Street Art: Famous Artists Talk Abo=
ut Their Vision" and "Banksy".

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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

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