Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Published to accompany a major exhibition at the National Gallery in Washington, this book reproduces all works in the show in full color. The reproductions are augmented by Kelly's preliminary sketches and black-and-white photographs taken by the artist to document the sources of these works, as well as an illustrated appendix detailing Kelly's work in America from 1940 to 1948. The three essays in this volume by noted modern art historians explore Kelly's early work in France and its impact on his later work. Complementary textual matter includes a chronology of Kelly's early career, detailed notes on each of the paintings executed in France, and an extensive bibliography. Recommended for art libraries and strong collections of American or contemporary art.-- Martin R. Kalfatovic, Natl. Museum of American Art/Natl. Portrait Gallery Lib., Smithsonian Inst., Washington, D.C. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

At first glance the subject seems terribly narrow; six youthful years in France. However, Ellsworth Kelly's development from Picasso imitation to geometric abstraction was the major shift of his career. More important, the aesthetic connections that he made during this time can be seen as a paradigm of American painting in the middle of the 20th century. Those earlier works look backward to Duchamp and Arp and forward to hard edge and geometric painting of the 1960s and 1970s. Most important is Kelly's friendship and communication with John Cage, his theories, and his music. Kelly can be seen as a major visualizer of the aleatory in the art of this century. The essays are rich in detail but strained in their effort to prove importance. Abundant illustrations. Advanced undergraduate and up. J. T. Frazer; Wesleyan University