Rethinking American Art - by Theodore E Stebbins Jr (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Cultural upheavals have brought enormous change to the world of art. This sweeping history, covering more than 200 years, puts recent changes in a revealing new context. Here's the how and the why of changing perspectives that make and break reputations, often reversing who is considered a master one day and who is unknown the next. Each generation of experts believes their own taste is the last word, confident in their opinions about the art that was the best of their time. As the author writes, "People are inclined to view past changes in taste as unique misjudgments that will not happen again; they are incredulous that Botticelli was forgotten and Vermeer overlooked until the late 19th century. They cannot imagine how foolish people were to reject the paintings of Van Gogh or of Picasso and the Cubists, or how angry the Armory Show made many art lovers. How unthinking, how stupid, they think, not realizing that the pattern has been repeated again and again in the past and will be in the future. We now recognize that the process is a continual one. Each past canon was established for good reason; there are no mistakes, there is only history. Many of the favored artists of any period including our own will drop from favor, something that art dealers never tell their clients, or museum curators their boards." Today, museums, critical judgments, and collectors have gone through a dramatic shift. There has been an emergence of new aesthetic standards based on identity, race, justice, and an embrace of diversity. Words such as "masterpiece" have been all but banished in the artworld. One of America's most respected museum curators and art scholars, Theodore E. Stebbins, is uniquely able to put recent shifts in the canon within the context of a regular, generational shift in taste that tells us much about the value that is placed on art-including who decides what matters and what does not-and art's unpredictable future"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

"This is a book the field of American art has been waiting for."--Dr. Kathleen Foster, Curator, Philadelphia Museum of Art

A sweeping history of changing critical standards and values in American art across 200 years. Art lovers, perplexed why their favorite artists are no longer on the walls of their local museums, will find an incisive view of why change is constant. All art lovers will find a cautionary lesson about the unpredictable future.

Each generation of experts believes their own taste is the last word, confident in their opinions about the art that was the best of their time.

As the author writes, "People are inclined to view past changes in taste as unique misjudgments that will not happen again....How unthinking, how stupid, they think, not realizing that the pattern has been repeated again and again in the past and will be in the future. We now recognize that the process is a continual one. Each past canon was established for good reason; there are no mistakes, there is only history. Many of the favored artists of any period including our own will drop from favor, something that art dealers never tell their clients, or museum curators their boards."

Theodore E. Stebbins, Jr., was in the center of every development in American art collecting and exhibitions from 1960 well into the 2000s. He is uniquely able to put recent shifts in the canon within the context of a regular, generational shift in taste that tells us much about the value that is placed on art--including who decides what matters and what does not.

Profusely illustrated, fascinating, controversial, deeply informed, Rethinking American Art is for anyone who wants a greater understanding of the forces that shape the world of art.

Review Quotes

"I cannot think of another book like this--both in its descriptions of the influential critics and curators of the past and its insider's perspective on a handful of key American art collectors. Bringing older notions of 'quality' and 'masterpiece' into the present, Stebbins also tracks the current generational shift, reviewing without partisan rancor the scholarly and cultural changes that have rocked American museums and classrooms in the last two decades. The profiles of collectors he knew personally are touching; his familiarity with dealers and the art market is invaluable. This is a book the field of American art has been waiting for."

--Dr. Kathleen Foster, Curator of American Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art

"Ted Stebbins and I have been friends for fifty years. He has long been a guide to Carolyn and me in the world of American art. His help has been extraordinary. I value his judgment and his integrity. All of his recommendations have been outstanding and with great perspective. This book is a great read."

--Peter Lynch, investor, philanthropist, collector

"Ted Stebbins has written a book of keen insight and clear analysis, filled with cautionary tales for the future. He has done so with a keen respect for the past, and a brilliant and ever-present engagement with the wonders of art. He writes of works of art as if he is seeing each for the first time, with a freshness and enthusiasm that helps us to see and understand. He recalls with clarity and discernment the many great individuals with whom he navigated institutions, and the marketplace, with a candor that will long be remembered. It is a memoir that, though steeped in history and memory, anticipates the future with boundless, inspiring energy."

--Matthew Teitelbaum, Director Emeritus, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

"Stebbins is our guide to the shifting canon of painters that he actively helped redefine. Stebbins's shrewd purchases for museums, his original exhibitions, his teaching and his persuasive writing have changed the field of American studies. He's known practically everybody in that field. His sharp portraits of collectors and dealers, competitors and colleagues, make for entertaining reading."

--John Walsh, Director Emeritus, Getty Museum

"This highly informative and deeply insightful book beautifully charts the many ways American art has been appreciated, studied, valued, collected--and ultimately judged--across time. Stebbins, employing the knowledge and wisdom gained from more than 60 years as a preeminent scholar and curator of American art, provides a meticulously researched and documented history that is engagingly enriched by personal knowledge and experience. I know of no one who could have told this story more eloquently."

--Franklin Kelly, Deputy Director and Chief Curator, National Gallery of Art (retired)

"I was Director of American Paintings at Sotheby's from 1976-2008, years of great growth in the field. Ted Stebbins was the one museum curator who attended virtually every auction preview, closely examining every painting, as well as contributing his scholarship to us on numerous occasions. His book is a thorough investigation into all facets of the American art world, both in depth and with great insight. Truly a treasured resource."

--Peter Rathbone, former Director of American Paintings, Sothebys