Josef Helfenstein
Published: 2010
Total Pages: 0
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Reading Art and Activism is similar to visiting Houston's breathtaking Menil Collection with the collectors, curators, and artists as guides. Illustrated with many rare archival photographs of the de Menils among their collection and behind the scenes, the book is a visual and textual treasure. Readers come to understand the unique story of the de Menils' philanthropic, artistic, and political life through a substantial set of essays, written by the likes of architect Renzo Piano (whose first US commission was the Menil Collection) and artist Dorothea Tanning, as well as scholars, activists, and family members. The book includes a large section of previously unpublished private correspondence, which contains letters to and from Marcel Duchamp, Rene Magritte, Man Ray, Robert Rauschenberg, Mark Rothko, and Jean Tinguely. The volume discusses the de Menils' philanthropic undertakings, such as the Rothko Chapel, the Menil Collection, the Cy Twombly Gallery, the Dan Flavin Installation, and the Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum, alongside their extensive work for civil and human rights. The volume is completed by a lovingly illustrated chronology and exhibition history, in addition to bibliographies. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above. Upper-division Undergraduates; Graduate Students; Researchers/Faculty; Professionals/Practitioners. Reviewed by K. E. Staab.