Nancy Ireson – författare

Two of the greatest collections of Rousseau’s work come together in a new exhibition that offers fresh insights into the painter’s art and life  The Barnes Foundation is home to the world’s largest collection of works by the self-taught artist Henri Rousseau (1844–1910). Many of them were bought by Dr. Albert C. Barnes from the Paris art dealer Paul Guillaume, also an avid collector of Rousseau’s works. This publication offers a comprehensive study of the eighteen works at the Barnes and places them in dialogue with works from around the globe, including those from Guillaume’s collection (now housed at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris). This unprecedented overview of the artist’s work reunites paintings that have been apart for more than one hundred years, marking the first time that works from the Foundation’s galleries will form part of an exhibition devoted to Rousseau.    Working closely with Barnes Foundation conservation staff, Christopher Green and Nancy Ireson consider Rousseau’s novel artistic practice and explore his process of adapting works to new purposes. They also examine how Rousseau navigated the art world, driven by the need to market his works in the hope of furthering his career. Richly illustrated with Rousseau’s idiosyncratic jungle scenes, landscapes, portraits, and still lifes, this volume presents new findings and includes essays that discuss the market for the artist in the 1920s and the veiled eroticism of the painter’s jungle scenes.  Distributed for the Barnes Foundation  Exhibition Schedule:  Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia(October 19, 2025–February 22, 2026)  Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris(March 24–July 20, 2026)

An in-depth exploration of how the iconic artist created his works over the course of his full careerAmong the most celebrated figures of modern art, Amedeo Modigliani (1884–1920) has been the subject of many exhibitions and publications, but none until now has examined in depth how the artist created his paintings and sculptures. Drawing on research using the latest scientific techniques, the authors explore the artist’s reuse of materials in his early years; his pivot from artistic trends such as Cubism to engage with a stylized form of figuration; the timeline of his evocative sculptures; and the evolution of his approach from heavily worked canvases to more ethereal paintings. The richly illustrated book also looks at the role of Albert C. Barnes, an early collector of Modigliani’s work, in shaping the Italian artist’s critical reception in the United States. The Barnes Foundation today owns one of the most important groups of Modigliani works in the world. These, together with some forty other paintings and sculptures from public and private collections worldwide, are interpreted through the lens of new studies carried out by leading international museums.Distributed for the Barnes FoundationExhibition Schedule:The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia(October 16, 2022–January 29, 2023)

A reassessment of self-taught artist William Edmondson, exploring the enduring relevance of his workThis richly illustrated volume reintroduces readers to American sculptor William Edmondson (1874–1951) more than 80 years after his historic solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. Edmondson began carving at the onset of the Depression in Tennessee. Initially creating tombstones for his community, over time he expanded his practice to include biblical subjects, the natural world, and recognizable figures including nurses and preachers. This book features new essays that explore Edmondson’s life in the South and his reception on the East Coast in the 1930s. Reading the artist through lenses of African American experience, the authors draw parallels between then and now, highlighting the complex relationship between Black cultural production and the American museum. Countering existing narratives that have viewed Edmondson as a passive actor in an unfolding drama—a self-taught sculptor “discovered” by White patrons and institutions—this book considers how the artist’s identity and position within history influenced his life and work. Distributed for the Barnes Foundation  Exhibition Schedule:The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia(June 25–September 10, 2023)

Henri Rousseau (1844-1910), known as Le Douanier (the Customs Officer) after his day job, was the first outsider or naïve artist in the history of Western art to be recognised at his true worth. His astonishing paintings, particularly of jungles, have now entered popular consciousness to such an extent that it is difficult now to imagine how strongly they were resisted at the time. Much of the credit for this transformation is due to the author of these Recollections, the dealer and historian Wilhelm Uhde. It was Uhde who put on Rousseau’s first exhibition, and the catalogue he wrote for the occasion is the basis of the Recollections. In it he painted the picture of a man of naïveté, humour, gentleness and total commitment to an art of whose importance he was utterly convinced. The version printed here is the final revision. An introduction by Nancy Ireson sets the Recollections in context.

This publication celebrates for the first time the important creative collaboration between the artist Henri Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901) and his muse, the dancer Jane Avril (1868–1943). Avril was one of the stars of Moulin Rouge in the 1890s, and was nicknamed ‘La Mélinite’ after a form of explosive. She was known for her alluring style and exotic persona, and her fame was assured by a series of dazzlingly inventive posters designed by Lautrec.

Elijah Pierce (1892–1984) was born the youngest son of a former slave on a Mississippi farm. He began carving at an early age when his father gave him his first pocketknife, and throughout his life he honed his craft and created artworks that would eventually, in the 1970s, bring him national and then international fame. Elijah Pierce's America seeks to revisit the artist's oeuvre and see it in its own right, rather than as "naïve," as it was known at the time.   Through his carvings, Pierce tells his own life story, but he also chronicles the African American experience. He made his living as a barber and was also a qualified preacher; just as his barbershop was a place for gossip and meeting, so his art reflects his own and his community's concerns. His subjects ranged from politics to religion, but he seldom distinguished the race of his figures—he thought of them as everyman figures. His secular carvings show his love of baseball, boxing, comics, and movies, and reflect his appreciation for American heroes who fought for justice and liberty.   A critic summarized what Elijah Pierce's America foregrounds in Pierce's artwork: "He reduces what he wants to say to the simplest forms and compositions. They are decorative, direct, bold, and amusing. He uses glitter and all kinds of devices to make his message clear. It gives his work an immediacy that's very appealing." Accompanying a major exhibition at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, Elijah Pierce's America shines a light on the sophisticated work of an artist with a distinct and important voice.

This lavish catalogue will accompany the first exhibition at a major American venue of the French model and painter Suzanne Valadon (1865–1938). Despite the popularity and success Valadon enjoyed in her lifetime, her work has been neglected since her death. Suzanne Valadon: Model, Painter, Rebel reconsiders the life and legacy of the revolutionary artist. From a childhood marked by poverty and neglect, Suzanne Valadon defied the odds to become a successful painter of the Parisian avant-garde. Passionate about art from an early age, she became a popular artist’s model at fifteen, posing for Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, Auguste Renoir, and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, among many others. Edgar Degas encouraged her earliest artistic efforts, praising the use of line in her drawings and introducing her to printmaking techniques. Valadon was the first self-taught woman artist to exhibit at the salon of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts. Later, when she turned to painting, she showed regularly at the Salon des Indépendants and the Salon d’Automne. She made a living from her art at a time when it when women faced countless obstacles to professional success. Despite these accomplishments, her work has received scant attention outside of France. The Barnes Foundation is the fi rst US institution to dedicate an exhibition to Valadon, introducing American audiences to her work and story. With her art and lifestyle alike, Valadon challenged behavioral codes. She cared little for convention, and in middle age left her marriage in favor of a relationship with the artist André Utter, more than twenty years her junior. While she broke new ground with her portraits and nudes, her reception was often overshadowed by criticism of her personal life, and her fame as an artist was eclipsed by that of her son, Maurice Utrillo. This catalogue looks beyond the gossip and scandals to focus on the unique role Valadon played within the Parisian art world. Seen in the twenty-fi rst century, Valadon’s confrontational and witty works still challenge viewers with their unapologetic presentations of women’s bodies, female desire, and the conflicts of marriage and motherhood. Always faithful to figurative representation, she refused to follow artistic trends, developing a distinctive pictorial language characterized by decisive lines and bold coloration. This fully illustrated exhibition catalogue explores the new ways of looking presented in the exhibition. Contributions by Nancy Ireson, Martha Lucy, Denise Murrell, Adrienne L. Childs, and Lauren Jimerson tackle the artist’s treatment of the female figure, her navigation of the art world, and her depictions of an as-yet-unidentified Black model. British artist Lisa Brice refl ects on her interest in the painter, finding resonance between Valadon’s pioneering work and contemporary artists and events. A chronology by Marianne Le Morvan presents a fascinating overview of the artist’s turbulent life.