An American Vision: Henry Francis Du Pont's Winterthur Museum - Hardcover

Cooper, Ms Wendy

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9780853318590: An American Vision: Henry Francis Du Pont's Winterthur Museum

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 085331859X ISBN 13: 9780853318590

Publisher: Lund Humphries, 2002

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The culmination of Henry Francis du Pont's lifelong vision and passion for collecting, Winterthur Museum houses the premier collection dedicated to American decorative arts. To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Winterthur, the National Gallery of Art, Washington, presents an incomparable selection of masterpieces chosen according to the very principles espoused by du Pont himself: rarity, beauty, historical association and provenance. The result, An American Vision, offers a stunning array of the vast riches of this remarkable museum. Born at Winterthur in 1880, H.F. du Pont played an integral part in the rising tide of interest in early American craftsmanship that took hold in the early twentieth century. Over the course of his lifetime, he succeeded in establishing a comprehensive collection that now comprises some 85,000 objects. Winterthur remains the greatest centre for the study of decorative arts made or used in America between 1640 and 1860. An American Vision explores the Winterthur collection, highlighting the fruits of du Pont's all-consuming appetite for the most beautiful and meaningful reminders of America's past. With chapters devoted to both specific time periods and themes, this volume illustrates the most prized pieces of a true connoisseur.
Prize: Winner of the Choice Outstanding Academic Title Award

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About the Author:

Wendy Cooper is the Lois F. and Henry S. McNeil senior curator of furniture at the Winterthur Museum, USA

From Library Journal:

Delaware's Winterthur Museum is home to one of the finest collections of American decorative art in the country. When Henry Francis du Pont inherited the family estate in 1927, he devoted his life to expanding the already sizable collection of art objects to its present size-over 85,000 pieces (which include furniture, metalwork, porcelain, paintings, textiles, and architectural artifacts). An exhibition catalog for a show organized in collaboration with the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, this volume highlights du Pont's most prized pieces. The book is divided into five main sections according to the distinct styles that constitute the collection-colonial, American chinoiserie, rococo, Pennsylvania German, and classical (Greek and Roman influence). Numerous monographs, including Jay E. Cantor's lavishly illustrated Winterthur, have been published about it, so why another? This book is recommended because it is well illustrated and well written, with a text that explains the acquisition history of each piece shown. And as senior curator of furniture at the Winterthur, the author is well qualified to describe its collections.
Margarete Gross, Chicago P.L.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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