The idea of bringing art to the masses in the form of civic displays has had its up and down periods in the annals of American history, the ups often riddled with what would later be considered racist and, or otherwise offensive commemorations alongside the many that still to this day stand the test of time, and the downs marked by a lack of civic engagement across the board. And so, it is fascinating to come across a study of this type. Focusing on this particular period, it mixes the sheer uncalibrated inequitable wealth of the Gilded Age with a public movement that really did deliver a more full civic life for New York City. Equal parts documentary and larger meditation on the beneficial role of civic art, author Michele Bogart, then assistant professor at SUNY-Stony Brook, put out this significant volume in the late 1980s. This snippet from the inside cover jacket summarizes things well: "The period 1890-1930 was the golden age of American public sculpture, an era that encouraged the creation of art for the populace. Nowhere did the movement flourish so long and so splendidly as in New York City, where ornate monuments and elaborate architectural sculptures defined the urban landscape." [Condition: Used Very Good — This may have been a library volume at one point, but has nonetheless been treated very well. Aside from a normal amount of light scratching of the dust-jacket and some foxing on page edges, the volume’s interior, filled with sharp black & white photography, is still in great shape.]
Condition: Used Very Good. The Arts. Michele H. Bogart. University of Chicago Press, 1989. Hardcover, 390 pgs, 8.5 x 8.5" / 2 lbs 8 oz
