Dennis Carr – författare

In the 18th century, Newport, Rhode Island, was home to some of the most skillful craftsmen in colonial North America. Among them were the clockmakers William Claggett (1694–1748), James Wady (d. 1759), and Thomas Claggett (1730–1797)—individuals whose surviving works became the best-known records of their lives. Although they flourished in an era widely considered as a golden age of prosperity in Newport, their stories remained elusive, with a few magnificent clocks the only testament to their place in pre-Revolutionary New England. Through a broad search of archival records and a hunt to locate and document not only the work of these artisans—featured here in stunning new photography—but also their interconnected lives, the authors offer a more accurate picture of these three men, their trade, and aspects of life in contemporary Newport. The resulting volume reveals their stories and extraordinary works: an important contribution to the history of masterful craftsmanship in Rhode Island.Distributed for Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library and the Newport Historical SocietyExhibition Schedule:Newport Historical Society(12/08/18–04/21/19)Redwood Library and Athenaeum, Newport(12/08/18–04/21/19)

A rich reappraisal of a key Black American modernist through a lens of cross-cultural engagement  Sargent Claude Johnson (1888–1967) was the first Black modernist on the West Coast to gain national acclaim. His artistic practice, forged in California, drew from a range of international influences, including traditional and contemporary arts of Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America, particularly Mexican modernism and Indigenous pottery techniques. Spanning the Black Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, Johnson’s career was devoted to sensitive, ennobling portrayals of people of color. Though best known as a sculptor, he worked expertly in a broad range of media—from painting and printmaking to enamelwork and ceramics—each illuminating his multifaceted identity as an artist.   In this catalogue, leading scholars examine Johnson’s artistic evolution and offer fresh perspectives on his work. From sculptures of underrepresented subjects to majestic architectural commissions—including a celebrated mural reproduced in lavish gatefold format—the book positions Johnson’s oeuvre within an expansive framework of global modernism.  Distributed for the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens  Exhibition Schedule:  Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens(February 17–May 20, 2024)

An introduction to the refined, spiritually significant, and often dazzling arts produced by the varied cultures of a cradle of world civilization The ancient cultures of the Americas comprise a vast array of societies, whose peoples spoke thousands of languages and dialects, developed distinctive political and economic systems, and followed myriad spiritual practices. The territory stretching from northern Mexico to Chile is one of six world regions where ancient civilizations arose – joining Egypt, the Near East and Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, North China and Southeast Asia. The intellectual, architectural and artistic accomplishments of the ancient American peoples rival those of the others, including fully developed writing systems, the tallest structures in the western hemisphere until the 20th century, and textiles and painted ceramics of unsurpassed complexity and refinement.The collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is particularly strong in Maya ceramics, early Andean textiles, and gold objects from Panama and Colombia, and throughout its history the Museum has been at the forefront in presenting pre- Columbian artifacts as part of art history rather than in the context of natural history or archaeology. The artworks featured in this volume exemplify the aesthetics and supreme craftsmanship of the peoples of the ancient Americas in pictorial pottery, sumptuous gold body adornments and luxury textiles. Together they introduce the sophistication, creativity and variety of the cultures of the Western Hemisphere’s cradle of civilization.

A career survey of the Los Angeles portrait artist known for his spontaneous, blunt portrayalsPublished with The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.Over the past seven decades, Santa Monica–based artist Don Bachardy (born 1934) has created thousands of visceral, compelling portraits from life. Many of these poignant renderings are of Bachardy's longtime partner, the writer Christopher Isherwood. Other subjects include such famous figures as Bette Davis, W.H. Auden, James Baldwin and David Hockney. This lavishly illustrated volume accompanies the Huntington’s landmark exhibition, which explores the range and depth of Bachardy’s practice. Essays by art critics, biographers and some of Bachardy’s subjects offer fresh perspectives on the work of this inventive artist, setting him in context within a vibrant community of Los Angeles artists, actors, writers and intellectuals. The career survey is filled with evocative portraits and photos from Bachardy’s personal collection, loans from private collections and objects from the Huntington’s extensive collection of Bachardy’s work and Isherwood’s papers.

Dr. Allana Wilson, a world-renowned nuclear physicist, enjoys a quiet and structured existence until she receives a letter from a brother who was reported lost in the mysterious sinking of a U.S. nuclear submarine years earlier. Before she can even regain her senses from the revelation that he is alive, party or parties unknown ransack her home, apparently after the letter. The only person she finds herself able to turn to is Remy Davenport, a government agent assigned to perform the final review of the key nuclear project she is spearheading. All of this happens in a matter of days, and Allana believes she's hit rock bottom when she shocks herself by sleeping with the visiting agent. Then things get worse. Thrown together, Allana and Remy find themselves caught up in an imponderable military and government conspiracy with terrifying implications and are forced to flee for their lives from hit squads that will stop at nothing, including murder, to keep that conspiracy from being discovered. Their flight leads them from Washington, D.C. through the eastern U.S. to Ontario, Nova Scotia, and eventually Newfoundland. There they face the greatest challenge of their lives, fighting to avert a nuclear disaster as part of an ad hoc team consisting of a D.C. federal agent, a squad of former Special Forces soldiers from Montana, and three Canadian civilians. Despite their differences and the mayhem stalking them, love begins to grow. But will it ever get a chance to blossom?