Library Journal Reviews
January 15, 2010
Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective
by Kraig Binkowski
Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective. Yale Univ. 2009. c.400p. ed. by
Michael R. Taylor . illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-300-15441-2 .
$65. FINE ARTS
This exhibition catalog edited by Taylor (Muriel & Philip Berman
curator of modern art, Philadelphia Museum of Art) is the first since
Diane Waldman’s 1981 Arshile Gorky, 1904-1948: A Retrospective to look
comprehensively at the body of Gorky’s (1902-48) work. The six
accompanying essays incorporate themes from a spurt of recent
biographical research (three published biographies in the last 11
years) and peer at the artist both broadly (Michael R. Taylor’s
"Rethinking Arshile Gorky") and precisely (Harry Cooper’s "To Organize
Painting") in painting a well-rounded and insightful picture of the
short life and work of this increasingly important Armenian-born
American artist. The catalog reproduces in full color 180 objects,
including paintings, sculpture, and works on paper-ranging from early
impressionistic experiments to Gorky’s surrealist final years,
coupling finished pieces with preparatory works. Also included is a
superb chronology (illustrated liberally with documentary photos), an
exhibition history (solo and group) that extends up to the current
year, and an extensive bibliography. VERDICT This retrospective will
be welcomed by anyone interested in American 20th-century art, and the
bibliographic back matter alone makes it indispensable for
researchers.-Kraig Binkowski, New Haven, CT