Review by Choice Review
Self-Taught and Outsider Art presents the Anthony Petullo Collection assembled through the 1990s. The book/catalog includes a preface by Petullo, followed by an introduction by Jane Kallir, and concludes with the catalog of works. The heart of this beautifully illustrated and well-designed book is the art. Organized alphabetically by artist, each entry includes a photograph and brief biography of the artist and full-color reproductions of the art. Although the short biographies generally repeat information readily available in other sources, their presence here provides convenient reference for readers, especially those who have little acquaintance with the world of outsider and self-taught art. The Petullo Collection also offers something of a canonical overview of what other writers, most notably in the journal Raw Vision, have labeled "classics" of outsider art. Kallir's introduction begins with an obligatory recitation and critique of the history of outsider art. Admittedly, the term is difficult to defend from rigorous scrutiny, but it does help us organize how we think about these works. Kallir then valorizes and contextualizes the role of the collector in bringing this art to the art world. Recommended for research libraries. General readers; lower-division undergraduates through faculty. B. L. Herman University of Delaware
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Art made by people who are not trained as artists can be remarkably vibrant and evocative, sometimes lovely, sometimes funny, sometimes raw, but always genuine. The American Folk Art Museum has acquired new digs in Manhattan and a unique and invaluable gift, the inspired and substantial collection of longtime board member Ralph Esmerian, who bought his first pieces of folk art while in his early twenties during the early 1960s. Smitten and increasingly expert, he ultimately collected the best of colonial and nineteenth-century Pennsylvanian and New England paintings, pottery, painted furniture, needlework, and weather vanes. His basic criterion was that the pieces had to "sing," and sing they do. These highly inventive creations, by mostly unidentified artists, evince great affection for the people, animals, and landscapes they portray. Lustrous plates are matched by a comprehensive catalog, making Hollander's gorgeous volume both a browser's delight and a superb resource. Petullo has also avidly collected the art of self-taught artists, but he focuses on contemporary painters. These 36 so-called outsiders, mostly European, some mentally ill, have an intuitive drive to make images and forge vigorous and arresting styles all their own. Curator Jane Kallir provides historical and cultural context, but her discussion barely hints at the power of the works themselves. These are hypnotic compositions of truly startling originality, including the organic, hyperdetailed drawings of Scottie Wilson and Anna Zemankova, who said that her works "seemed to draw themselves"; Albert Louden's dynamic paintings; James Lloyd's pointillist gouaches; Sylvia Levine's sensitive modernist oils; and the epic drawings of Henry Darger, to name but a few of these striking, self-realized artists, the equals of their professional peers. Photographs and brief biographies of the artists accompany their works. Donna Seaman
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Interest in nonconventional art continues to grow. While as yet no one term encompasses all the artists working in this genre, self-taught and outsider are often used. Generally, these artists create without any formal art education; some begin very late in life, some have multiple careers, and some have ended up being institutionalized. Regardless of their circumstances, they all have talent that is being recognized. Petullo, a private collector and member of the board of the Milwaukee Art Museum, here shares many fine examples (excluding sculpture) from his own collection. Reproduced in full color are almost 150 works by 36 artists, each represented by a photo-portrait. These reproductions, along with the educational introduction by Jane Kallir (proprietor of the Galerie St. Etienne in New York) and the biographical information provided by Margaret Andera (curatorial assistant, Milwaukee Art Museum), make this book a good introduction to both European and North American artists of this genre. Although many of the artists shown here are well known, the collection does contain the work of 20th-century European artists generally unknown in the United States. While this is a nice book that would enhance any library, it is recommended primarily for larger and academic collections as a complement to books on the subject that are broader in scope, such as Chuck and Jan Rosenak's Museum of American Folk Art Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century Folk Art and Artists (Abbeville, 1991), or that provide a more comprehensive history, such as Michael D. Hall and others' The Artist Outsider (LJ 2/1/94). Susan Lense, Upper Arlington P.L., OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
