Weller, Allen S. (Albers, Josef; Avery, Milton; Bourgeois, Louise; Davis, Stuart; Gottlieb, Adolph; Hoffmann, Hans; Lawrence, Jacob; Motherwell, Robert; O'Keefe, Georgia; Shahn, Ben; Tanguy, Yves; Tanning, Dorothea et al.)

Contemporary American Painting and Sculpture (Catalog)

Urbana, IL: University of Illinois, 1955. First Edition. Softcover. "One of the frequent causes for misunderstanding contemporary forms of art, for the gap which all too often divides the artist from the non-artist, is lack of clarity in understanding the position of the artist in society today. It is not possible to judge either the artist or the work of art of our own times by the standards which prevailed in periods in which art occupied a position far different from that which is now the case. Of course this is a two-way proposition, and it is just as true that much of the art of the past has been misinterpreted by some of our contemporaries because they have been unable to look at it from the perspective it was made to occupy. Fortunately, there is an extraordinary richness about the true work of art which allows it to exist quite independently of an understanding which may or may not be sociologically and historically "correct" or "incorrect," and in a certain sense it may be said that if one "likes" a work of art, the reason for doing so is unimportant." (from "Appearance and Reality," introductory essay by Allen S. Weller, pg. 7) A vintage catalog of artworks presented at an exhibition by the University of Illinois at Urbana during February 27- April 3, 1955. With one color frontispiece reproduction & many black-&-white images of contemporary artworks by such American (& refugee-American) artists as Josef Albers (whose work is singularly referred to but not reproduced), Milton Avery, Louise Bourgeois, Stuart Davis, Adolph Gottlieb, Hans Hoffmann, Lawrence Jacob, Robert Motherwell, Georgia O'Keefe, Ben Shahn, Yves Tanguy, Dorothea Tanning & many others- some at the beginning, others well into or at the height of their illustrious careers. With a very important (& we think quite presciently relevant) introductory essay (quoted above) by Allen S. Weller (1907-1997), then the Dean of the University's College of Fine & Applied Arts; & a lengthy section of capsule biography-critiques of all the artists & sculptors following the reproductions. Large-format softcover in sewn binding, presumed first edition, first-&-only printing with no references to further printings at sparse copyright page. Among the delightful & collectible attributes of this catalog is the front cover, so exemplary of 1950s American graphic art, almost as riveting to us as the well-(if black-&-white)reproduced masterpieces between its covers. From the collection of Russell Taylor Weil (b. 1927), a prominent retired attorney & collector from Washington, DC. A most desirable & rewarding rarity for the mid-20th century American art lover, with distinguished provenance. In relatively near-fine condition with mild rubbing, browning & faint scratching to front, back covers & spine; very light wear & some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same; moderate bending of spine toward front; mild rubbing, browning & spotting to edges of text block esp. upper edge. Interior all-but-fine with mild browning, occasional spotting to blank inner covers, endpapers & mostly at blank margins/edges of page leaves; tiny bumps, small faint creases & occasional very small folded creases mostly at upper corners of some leaves; contemporary gift inscription (presumably to Weil but with no reference to adressee) in bold black ink at upper area of blank front endpaper; very light (indeed hardly discernible), thin underlining of passages in pencil (or very faded ink?) at Weller's introduction on pages 7-12, 14-18, 21(bracketing of paragraph)-22. An extra handling fee will be added for shipping due to the weight of this item. Near Fine. [Item #5636]

Price: $40.00