A Walk Through the American Wing (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

This volume takes us on a tour of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing, which houses a collection of American paintings, decorative arts, richly furnished period rooms, and architectural displays. The comprehensive survey begins with colonial portraiture and then traces the emergence and development of a national fine arts tradition. There are masterpieces of painting, sculpture, and drawing as well as exquisite examples of American furniture, silver, glass, ceramics and textiles. Architectural presentations include the magnificent marble facade of the Branch Bank of the United States and the living room of a Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie-style house. The Metropolitan{u2019}s Renowned American Wing Is Where The Museum{u2019}s Unsurpassed Collection Of American Fine And Decorative Art Is On Permanent Public Display, From Masterpieces Of Painting, Sculpture, And Drawing To Exquisite Examples Of The Finest American Furniture, Silver, Glass, Ceramics, And Textiles. This Handsome Volume Presents An Overview Of The Collection And Provides An Informative Walk Through The American Wing{u2019}s Richly Furnished Period Rooms And Stunning Architectural Displays. These Include The Magnificent Marble Façade Of The Branch Bank Of The United States{u2014}the Entrance To The Original American Wing When It Opened In 1924{u2014}and The Restored Living Room Of A Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie-style House. The Comprehensive Survey Of Paintings And Sculpture Begins With Early Colonial Portraiture And From There Follows The Emergence And Development Of A National Fine-arts Tradition, Including Significant Movements And Genres Such As The Hudson River School, Neoclassical Sculpture, And American Impressionism. -- Metropolitan Museum Of Art Website. Director's Foreword / Philippe De Montebello -- Introduction / Morrison H. Heckscher, H. Barbara Weinberg -- The Charles Engelhard Court -- Decorative Arts -- Paintings And Sculpture -- Study Collections. By The Curators Of The American Wing. Written by curators in the departments of American decorative arts and American painting and sculpture, this accessible guide leads readers through the riches of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing. The gallery number is given below each topic heading featured folk art, late Federal furniture, Philadelphia furniture, etc. with a short essay for each accompanied by color plates of representative pieces. Distributed by Yale University Press. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)