African-American Masters: Highlights from the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Rating:
Summary: Vibrant and diverse
Review: This vibrant catalog accompanies the Smithsonian touring exhibit of the same name, focusing on artists of the 20th century and featuring a diversity of ideas and media. There are 52 full-page illustrations, 38 of which are color. The book is organized alphabetically by artist, with an alphabetical index by titles. The narratives (usually a paragraph or two) provide interesting background about each piece; it's like having a docent along for the tour. The only drawback is there's very little in the way of biographical information, perhaps only a sentence at most. So, this book is a wonderful supplement, but not a primer on African American art...then again, it's not intended to be. Instead, it is a celebration, a small taste of the masterworks owned by the American people. I feel it's significant these works are in a public collection for all to appreciate, and curator Gwen Everett has done an outstanding job in presenting them here.

Gerri Gribi, Curator: AfroAmericanHeritage.com