Review by Choice Review
The second of a projected encyclopedic two-volume work documenting approximately 380 exhibitions of about 1,000 artists held during the period 1965-85 in the OAS Museum of Modern Art of Latin America, Washington, DC. (The first volume, in preparation, will cover the period betweeen 1941 and 1964, representing a comparable number of exhibitions and artists). Included here is a complete anthology of the original catalogs that accompanied each of the exhibitions, which featured predominantly Latin American artists, and some North American, Canadian, and European artists as well. The themes covered range from individual or group artists' exhibits to traditional arts and crafts in different countries. The majority of the entries were written by the late well known critic and Latin American art expert, Jos'e G'omez-Sicre. Painstaking editorial work by Annick Sanjurjo, however, is evidenced in the clear, chronological order of presentation. Where needed, corrections were made to original data, and valuable new biographical notes, not easily obtainable elsewhere, were added for many artists. A major drawback is the lack of illustrations, except for the frontispiece reproduction of a 1987 painting by Eduardo MacEntyre (curiously, outside the time frame of this volume). Most useful, perhaps, are the two indexes, one of artists, the other of exhibitions by country. This monumental effort gives a good history of the development of modern Latin American art. Graduate; faculty; professional. H. Rodriguez-Camilloni; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
This is a compilation of catalogs of 380 exhibitions of the work of about 1,000 artists held at the Organization of American States gallery in Washington, D.C., between 1965 and 1985. A forthcoming volume will cover exhibitions held between 1941 and 1964. Most of the chronologically arranged catalogs consist of two to four brief paragraphs: comments on the work, biographical information and professional background of a single artist, followed by a list of the works in the show. More extensive catalogs were prepared for group shows such as the 1980 Art of Today in Barbados, which had 48 works by 18 artists, and the 1984 New Directions: Mexican Women Artists, which showed one work by each of 22 artists. Significantly longer catalogs are reprinted here for shows by such established artists as Alejandro Obreg{{¢}}on, Fernando de Szyszlo, and Jos{{‚}}e Luis Cuevas. The late Jos{{‚}}e G{{¢}}omez-Sicre, the founding director of the Museum of Modern Art of Latin America of the OAS, established the program of monthly exhibits, selected the artists, and wrote most of the catalog copy. Sanjurjo, the editor of this volume, was archivist for the museum from 1978 to 1989. In the preface, she explains that many artists' biographies were missing, particularly for those in group exhibitions. Biographical notes for these were added, but, for consistency, completed only to the date of the exhibition. Two indexes have been provided: one of artists and one of exhibitions by country. One might quarrel with G{{¢}}omez-Sicre's assertion in the foreword that "this publication documents the history of the birth of Latin American modern art, and gives evidence of its worth and strength," since approximately two-thirds of the nearly 100 artists included in the current New York Museum of Modern Art's (MOMA) show, Latin American Artists of the Twentieth Century, do not appear in this volume, never having exhibited at the OAS. Among the omissions are Frida Kahlo, Helio Oiticica, and Marisol. In addition, generally skimpy biographical information and the early cutoff dates and the lack of illustrations and bibliographies are serious drawbacks. Nevertheless, as a unique English-language record of a not very well documented area, the volume may be useful for specialized collections. Other art collections will certainly want to acquire the catalog of MOMA's recent show, Latin American Artists of the Twentieth Century (hardcover, Abrams, $65; paper, MOMA, $29.95). It is organized along chronological and stylistic lines, includes 14 essays by distinguished scholars, reproduces 372 works (including 194 colorplates) by nearly 100 artists, and includes biographies. (Reviewed Oct. 15, 1993)
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Sources in English on contemporary artists from the Caribbean and South America are increasing in number, but none compares in magnitude to this first of a projected two-volume set. Annick Sanjurjo, archivist at the Museum of Modern Art of Latin America, OAS, has compiled catalogs from over 380 exhibitions that cover nearly 1000 artists, thereby providing researchers with a useful tool for tracing the early careers of familiar artists such as Botero and Torres-Garcia. Where this book really shines, though, is in offering access to biographical information on artists generally unknown to North Americans. Two indexes--one by artist, the other by country--are intelligently designed, but, unfortunately, there are no illustrations. Nevertheless, this is an excellent reference book for research collections.-- Susan M. Olcott, Columbus Metropolitan Lib., Ohio (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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