Koncocoo

Best Art Collecting

Confessions Of an Art Addict
Here is a book that captures a valuable chapter in the history of modern art, as well as the spirit of one of its greatest advocates.
Reviews
"Well written and honest account of a singular woman who lived fully a life of purpose."
"I bought this book because it was cheap and because we were just about to visit the Guggenheim Bilbao."
"She lead an interesting life in an interesting time for the development of American art."
"Well told about the people she knew, places she lived and all she did to support artists."
"Her flamboyant lifestyle and harsh business ways in collecting art depicted by other writers makes for exotic reading."
"I was interested in the artists and Ms. Guggenheims relationships with them."
"First-person account of an unconventional life."
"Certainly a more interesting character then an author, Guggenheim details the art world when it was a more genuine and quirky place."
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To Have and To Hold
To Have and To Hold is a captivating tour of collectors and their treasures from medieval times to the present, from a cabinet containing unicorn horns and a Tsar's collection of teeth to the macabre art of embalmer Dr. Frederick Ruysch, the fabled castle of William Randolph Hearst, and the truly preoccupied men who stockpile food wrappers and plastic cups. Blom follows the tradition into the dark castles of crazed aristocrats and obsessed collectors (such as the 18th-century German doctor who had a collection of skulls taken from the local gallows and asylum) who thought to compile small, neurotically labeled and catalogued worlds, which countered the chaotic one outside their walls. Although Blom's book sticks mainly to highbrow collecting-e.g., old master drawings, snuffboxes, architectural models, human skulls, books-and does not come to any conclusions on what drives people to collect, it is an admirable attempt to chart the history of an obsession. Blom traces the development of collections since the Renaissance through lively portraits of famous collectors, like the Englishman Sir Thomas Phillips, who believed that he was meant to own one copy of every book in the world; the Austrian Franz Joseph Gall, who lined his walls with row upon row of skulls; and the American Alex Shear, who has amassed more than a hundred thousand relics of nineteen-fifties America.
Reviews
"At first I thought this was going to be a survey of some eccentric collectors in history, on which is does not disappoint, but it turns out to be a lot richer and contain some real pearls of wisdom about life in general, and flashes of historical insight."
"During a recent visit to London, it inspired me to visit one collection of whose existence I had not been aware before I read the book."
"Very well written and interesting; helpful to me as an archivist and as a collector."
"quick delivery, as described -- AAA+++."
"The book is filled with witty and informative anecdotes, which makes it immensely readable apart from being valuable as a scholarly work."
"Why do some people like to collect things?"
"The author makes an interesting comparison between serious collections (or collectors) and autism - also between immortality and collections."
"Blom covers the subject from the earliest days ,when the idea of collecting was only something that was in the world of the extremely rich and powerful;and covers how through history it has changed to become a pursuit by anyone and at any level;and with the objects being collected being endless. Over and over again ,throughout the book ;we see that no matter how great and extensive a collection is;the owner of the collection must face the reality of death,and the collection of objects must pass on as well.The book is loaded with maxims that apply to all collecting; Just a couple are; "In order to take objects out of circulation or to devote oneself to finding useless things,one has to be able to afford the time and resources to do so." "Can one be a collector without collecting?" I consdider my Bird Life List just as much of a collection as my other collections."
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The Art of Acquiring: A Portrait of Etta and Claribel Cone
For four and a half decades, Etta and Claribel Cone roamed artists’ studios and art galleries in Europe, building one of the largest, most important art collections in the world. At one time, these two independently wealthy Jewish women from Baltimore received offers from virtually every prominent art museum in the world, all anxious to house their hitherto private assemblage of modern art. Though it intimately portrays two powerful, influential, ahead-of-their-time women, The Art of Acquiring is more than a tale of two sisters, more than an important addition to art history, and more than a major contribution to the study of women's history. Because it reproduces some of the more famous and important art of Matisse, Picasso, Cézanne, Dégas, and others, The Art of Acquiring enables readers to practically step through the canvas and live in the shocking paintings these two unsung sisters purchased, then gave to the world-at-large. But here Gabriel (Notorious Victoria: The Rise and Fall of Victoria Woodhull) focuses on "the barely recognized link" between modernist masters such as C?zanne, Degas, Picasso and Matisse, and the largely forgotten art collectors Etta and Claribel Cone, wealthyAand stolidly VictorianABaltimore sisters who, starting around the turn of the century, devoted their lives to amassing one of the largest and most remarkable collections of modern art in the world. (June). Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. Heiresses to a family fortune, Etta and Claribel Cone, Jewish sisters from Baltimore, amassed a major collection of modern French artworks.
Reviews
"The sisters supported and collected Matisse, and amassed the collection now housed in the Baltimore Museum of Art. Gertrude Stein's clever self-promotion has put the Cone sisters in the shadow - not anymore!"
"As an art major, I had never heard of this collection before, and the story of how they came to own is very much a history of the times in which they lived."
"I have visited the Cone Collection at the Baltimore Museum of Art and urge all interested in great art to make the same pilgrimage."
"For any serious reader of art history or anyone in love with the Paris of the turn of the century (opps last century) with such mythical figures as Gertrude Stein, Hemingway, Picasso et al I can really recommend this book- and I never knew about the Cone Sisters and what they did for American art- who would think such unlikely Victorian maidens from Baltimore could be so naughty and yet so proper, and leave their collected treasures for our enjoyment."
"Recommended for art lovers and those who simply enjoy a good read, The Art of Acquiring tells the fascinating story of two sisters who are unknown by many."
"The story seems like a fantasy that the Cone sisters were able to buy Matisse, Picasso, Degas and many other famous painters work for just pennies."
"This book, which covers the collecting years of the Cone sisters, breathes life into the time period interweaving the stories of Gertrude and Leo Stein, Alice Tolkas, Matisse, & Picasso."
"The book is well written and well researched and really brings to life these two amazing women and the lives they led."
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Best Art Reference

Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking: 1
For all practical purposes making art can be examined in great detail without ever getting entangled in the very remote problems of genius." The book's co-authors, David Bayles and Ted Orland, are themselves both working artists, grappling daily with the problems of making art in the real world. Their insights and observations, drawn from personal experience, provide an incisive view into the world of art as it is expeienced by artmakers themselves. Art & Fear has attracted a remarkably diverse audience, ranging from beginning to accomplished artists in every medium, and including an exceptional concentration among students and teachers. David Bayles is an accomplished photographer, author, workshop leader, and conservationist.
Reviews
"It will challenge you to reevaluate your expectations and reframe your artistic pursuits in a manner that will allow for perpetual growth and minimize potential for burn out or "losing it"."
"This book is amazing."
"An excellent insight into the thought processes and predicaments of art."
"A neatly written nice little book on just what the title suggests."
"I know of many full time Arts Faculty (specifically Performing Arts) that still create and share their artistry outside of the classroom."
"This was recommended by a writer friend, but the wisdom in the book applies to any art form or issues of creativity."
"Art & Fear should be in every artist's bookshelf."
"Art philosophy and psychology making for a noteworthy read."
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Best Art Study & Teaching

Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking: 1
For all practical purposes making art can be examined in great detail without ever getting entangled in the very remote problems of genius." The book's co-authors, David Bayles and Ted Orland, are themselves both working artists, grappling daily with the problems of making art in the real world. Their insights and observations, drawn from personal experience, provide an incisive view into the world of art as it is expeienced by artmakers themselves. Art & Fear has attracted a remarkably diverse audience, ranging from beginning to accomplished artists in every medium, and including an exceptional concentration among students and teachers. David Bayles is an accomplished photographer, author, workshop leader, and conservationist.
Reviews
"It will challenge you to reevaluate your expectations and reframe your artistic pursuits in a manner that will allow for perpetual growth and minimize potential for burn out or "losing it"."
"This book is amazing."
"An excellent insight into the thought processes and predicaments of art."
"A neatly written nice little book on just what the title suggests."
"I know of many full time Arts Faculty (specifically Performing Arts) that still create and share their artistry outside of the classroom."
"This was recommended by a writer friend, but the wisdom in the book applies to any art form or issues of creativity."
"Art & Fear should be in every artist's bookshelf."
"Art philosophy and psychology making for a noteworthy read."
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Best Color in Art

Colored Pencil Painting Bible: Techniques for Achieving Luminous Color and Ultrarealistic Effects
Take colored pencils beyond the ordinary with Colored Pencil Painting Bible ! ALYONA NICKELSEN is an award-winning artist whose work has been featured in numerous national and international exhibitions as well as in most of the country’s major art magazines, including American Artist, American Artist Drawing, The Artist’s Magazine, International Artist, American Art Collector, and Art Business News.
Reviews
"I also liked the fact that it said Colored Pencil PAINTING, because I have always thought the style and technique I favor - a heavy, opaque coloring, rather than a soft sketchy style - was more akin to painting than the drawing/sketching that most people think of when they think of colored pencils. I knew that when I was last heavily involved in this medium, a good 25 or so years ago, this style or approach, and the colored pencil medium in general was still considered a relatively new medium (in the general scheme of artist's media through the ages) and that people had been experimenting and pushing the techinique envelope, and new products had been developing as well. Not only does this book cover the ultrarealistic effects and luminous colors that are the author's forte, it also gives a good overview of principles of design, composition, color theory, fundamentals of light, shading and shadows, and other topics that are applicable to just about all visual art media, not just colored pencil. The focus of the book, as promised by the title, is on colored pencil drawing (painting), specifically with "dry" wax or oil based pencils (not watercolor pencils) So naturally a lot of pages are devoted to materials, media, supplies and tools. It covers the difference and similarities between wax and oil based pencils and specific brands thereof - including hardness, blendability, color range, and the "feel" of the pencil on the page plus an appendix with charts of all the major manufacturers' colored pencils and their ratings for lightfastness. This book is an essential in the library of anyone who is interested in making art with colored pencils."
"(Hopefully you can see that without my help) also I included a sample of a crystal candle stick, a leaf with a water droplet or two, pears, an apple, a brass pitcher, we'll you can tell what they all are except maybe red , yellow and blue peppermill."
"May I suggest additionally using the same techniques with water and watercolor pencils too, if you don't feel like getting fancy."
"cherry, orange-peeled and unpeeled, red pepper--cut and uncut, peach--cut and uncut, strawberry, indian corn in husk, dandelion, mortar and pestle, brass pitcher, crumpled paper, white eggs, glass of water, multicolored glass shaker, swirled marbles, and decorative perfume bottle."
"If you're an intermediate or advanced artist with colored pencil experience this is a good book. If you're new to colored pencils like I am this is not the right book for you. And it shows one small photo of the drawing. You need a lot of experience drawing and working with colors and so much else to create drawings that look ultra realistic."
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Best Figure Drawing

How to Draw What You See
Today, generations of artists have learned to draw what they see, to truly capture the world around them, using de Reyna’s methods. Rudy de Reyna is the author of many Watson-Guptill classics, including Magic Realist Drawing Techniques .
Reviews
"It was brought to my attention originally by a member of my class and that is why I ordered it."
"the recipient of this loved it."
"Shipped by stated date and good instruction."
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Best Business of Art

Art Money & Success: A complete and easy-to-follow system for the artist who wasn't born with a business mind.
• Connect with your right buyers. • Increase your $$$ income today. • Sell art easily and negotiate nicely. • License your art and get paid multiple times for one artwork. • Implement powerful money and business practices. • Trust your own creative intuition. If you are interested in generating more money and success from your art, then ART, MONEY & SUCCESS is for you!
Reviews
"I get so excited whenever I pick up this book!"
"So this most Californian of how-to books that focusses on how the author went about selling her surf-loving husband's art should have rubbed me – a cynical Old World Brit who merely dabbles in water colours when he's had too much to drink – up the wrong way. And yet, despite the odd mix of woo-woo spiritualism and crass Yankee commercialism (you have to emanate true love for other people before you can close the deal) I found myself, dare I say it, agreeing with her."
"Some of her advice I was already practicing before I read the book, but I also picked up a lot of great ideas from her book. What I really like about her book though, is that it’s full of great advice, without the condescending tone of some other art business books I’ve read."
"One of my friends let me read some of this book on her Kindle. Before I finished the first page I ordered the paperback, as this is one of those rare books that you need to read and re-read Filled with ideas, real life examples and information that is amazing to have in one book."
"Maria Brophy is unique in her field of art consulting in that she is actively managing the career of her artist husband in real time and, in that capacity, works firsthand with buyers."
"Most of what we read/hear about marketing and growing a business deals with the big picture mindset stuff, which, while definitely important in its own right, doesn't really allow us to take that next step with concrete ideas."
"I am an older artist finally following through on that dream I had when I was a teenager. "Before life got in the way"."
"Art Money & Success is the book I have been looking for over 20 years - one based on the business of being an artist."
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