The Necessity of Sculpture

(Paperback)

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Description

The Necessity of Sculpturebrings together a selection of articles on sculpture and sculptors from Eric Gibson's nearly four-decade career as an art critic.

This bookcovers subjects as diverse as Mesopotamian cylinder seals, war memorials, and the art of the American West; stylistic periods such as the Hellenistic in Ancient Greece and Kamakura in medieval Japan; Michelangelo, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and other historical figures; modernists like Auguste Rodin, Pablo Picasso, and Alberto Giacometti; and contemporary artists including Richard Serra, Rachel Whiteread, and Jeff Koons. Organized chronologically by artist and period, this collection is as much a synoptic history of sculpture as it is an art chronicle. At the same time, it is an illuminating introduction to the subject for anyone coming to it for the first time.

Reviews

"Eric Gibson's The Necessity of Sculpture reads like a sharp answer to Baudelaire's claim that "sculpture is boring." His genuine and informed response to the medium and clear, critical writing make it an indispensable book on the subject."

Philippe De Montebello, Director Emeritus, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

"Eric Gibson is one of our best art editors at work today. In his (nearly nonexistent) spare time he is also a probing critic and astute essayist. One of his great interests in art history is the relatively neglected area of sculpture. Gibson has written all across the field. Be prepared: he will not only inform you, but make you think; not only make you look, but make you see."

John Wilmerding, Sarofim Professor Emeritus in American Art, Princeton University

Author Bio

Eric Gibson is the Arts in Review editor of The Wall Street Journal and one of the papers art critics. He grew up in England and graduated with a B.A. in Art History from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. He is the author of The Sculpture of Clement Meadmore (Hudson Hills Press, 1993) and lives with his wife on Long Island.