Friedman, Martin e.a. - The Walker Art Center (1990 1st. ed.

Friedman, Martin e.a. - The Walker Art Center Painting and Sculpture from the Collection

New York, Rizzoli International Publications, 1990, first edition

Hardcover. Black cloth. Title impressed on frontcover and in silver on spine. With dustjacket
24 x 31 x 7 cm.
568 Pages

VERY GOOD

Dedication on half title

Lots of illustrations in colour and in black&white

This mammoth catalog should serve as a model for other museums that wish to present their collections to the public and scholars in a critical, informative, and readable format.
The introduction by Martin Friedman (who has been director of the Walker Art Center since 1961) provides the historical background on the Walker Art Center and its internationally renowned collection of 20th-century art.
Five essays by major art historians place many of the museum's works in the historical contexts of the century's primary stylistic movements.
The bulk of the book is comprised of the catalog of significant works in the collection, each shown in a full-page color illustration and accompanied by an intelligent, insightful critical assessment and the work's vital statistics. There is also a checklist of additional works from the collection, which are depicted in small black-and-white illustrations at the end of the volume.
This impressive and important catalog should be in all art collections.

The Walker Art Gallery holds a stunning collection of paintings, sculpture and decorative arts spanning over six hundred years. Home to outstanding works by Rubens, Rembrandt, Poussin and Gainsborough, the Walker is also one of the finest art galleries in Europe.
Here you’ll also find Tudor portraits and a large collection of Victorian and Pre-Raphaelite works including Dante’s Dream by Rossetti, hanging alongside other artists such as Millais, Turner, Monet and Holman Hunt.
Don’t miss the Walker’s collection of 20th century modern and contemporary art that includes pieces by Lucien Freud, Bridget Riley and Henry Moore. The Gallery also exhibits the current and past winners of the John Moores Painting Prize, the oldest painting competition in the UK. Look out for work by David Hockney, Peter Doig, Martin Green and 2012 winner, Sarah Pickstone.
The Decorative Arts gallery contains over 500 pieces of ceramics, glass, pottery, fashion and furniture from the ancient world to the 20th century.

Martin Friedman (1925–2016), the former director of the Walker Art Center and founder of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden—where Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s Spoonbridge and Cherry, 1985–88, famously resides, originally commissioned by Friedman—directed the Walker for thirty years, retiring in 1990, and expanded it from being a regional, Midwestern museum to an exhibition space of international renown, putting on shows with the likes of David Byrne and Laurie Anderson, among countless others.
During his tenure, Friedman mentored curators and directors who’d go on to oversee major museums throughout the United States.
Adam Weinberg, a former Friedman protégé and current director of the Whitney Museum, said: ‘Martin understood that the power of a museum comes from giving voice to artists as well as showcasing their art. He was a major voice for artists and a real champion of freedom of expression.’
‘I’m a conceptualist of sorts. An impresario,’ said Friedman of himself during a 1988 interview. ‘I like dealing with artists and material in an unconventional form. I like dealing with abstract ideas and taking a chance on an artist. I like complicated issues that involve a lot of people. I like living on the edge and scaring myself.’

This mammoth book weights almost 8 kilo’s. Shipping fee (The Netherlands: € 8,25; Belgium: € 9,50) to be paid by buyer