Sister Wendy's American Collection FROM OUR EDITORS
Who would ever have guessed that a shy, unassuming English nun would have risen to become one of the world's most respected and widely-read art commentators? Sister Wendy Beckett has exhibited a special knack, as evidenced in Sister Wendy's American Collection, for unfolding the joys of art to an ever-growing readership, even those, as she has said, "for whom this is a world closed."
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Dubbed a "pop star" (New York Times) and a "phenomenon" (Washington Post), the host of the wildly popular art series on PBS, Sister Wendy, is back, this time at six of America's prestigious museums: the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Kimbell Art Museum (Fort Worth), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City), the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Chicago Art Institute, and the Cleveland Museum of Art, In each museum, Sister Wendy picks a variety of art—paintings, sculpture, porcelain figures—and draws attention to the small details and the history of the artist in a way that takes the mystery out and at the same time allows the wonder in. As she says, "We know great art by its effect on us. If we area prepared to look without preconceptions, without defenses, without haste, then art will change us."
With writing that is informative, chatty, funny, and revealing, and more than 250 color illustrations throughout, Sister Wendy's American Collection offers a personal tour through the country's greatest art that will inspire readers to make their own pilgrimage to the great museums of America.
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
Sister Wendy Beckett strikes again with this discussion of works in six of America's renowned art museums, singing high praise for her choices. The enthusiastic art critic includes a variety of media paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, armor, and other art objects and the individual works originate from a dizzying array of time periods and several countries. The main criterion Sister Wendy uses for selection (a daunting task since most of the museums possess over half a million pieces) is how the particular work moves her. She allots two pages to each piece, giving tidbits of information regarding its history and technique, some fun insights, and brief biographies of the artists. The text is readable and enjoyable. This entertaining introduction to some of the country's best museum holdings serves well as art appreciation and as a guide to the featured museums; the PBS series this spring will also increase interest. Recommended for public libraries. Jennifer Mayer, Univ. of Wyoming Libs., Laramie Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Booknews
Sister Wendy Beckett, a contemplative nun and author, presents this companion to a PBS series of the same name airing in the spring of 2001. She focuses on six encyclopedic American museums: the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She has selected about 150 works and addresses the style and meaning of each, and the cultural and historical contexts within which the artists existed from ancient civilizations throughout the 20th century. Attractively formatted and contains about 250 color illustrations. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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