What do you think?
Rate this book
The William S. Paley Collection
William S. Paley, founder of CBS, Inc., and a towering figure in the modern entertainment, communication and news industries, was also an enthusiastic collector of twentieth-century art and a committed supporter of The Museum of Modern Art. This volume presents his extraordinary collection of 84 paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings by some of the most important figures of modern art, including Paul Cézanne, André Derain, Paul Gauguin, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, bequeathed to the Museum in one of the most significant transfers of a private collection to a public institution at the time. Aside from loans made to MoMA exhibitions, his collection was seldom seen by the public until it was left to the William S. Paley Foundation for donation to the Museum. Originally published in 1992 for a series of traveling exhibitions organized by MoMA, this volume has been completely redesigned for this new edition.
- GenresArt
180 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1992
About the author
William Rubin
55 books6 followersWilliam Stanley Rubin was an American art scholar and curator and director of the painting and sculpture department at the Museum of Modern Art, New York City.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 27, 2013
Oh, I’m so upset with myself for missing this exhibit. I knew I would like it, but all plans got cancelled. So, I’m very grateful to have the book, though now that I’ve seen and read the contents, I am even more disappointed in myself for not making the required effort to get to the museium. A lesson learned, I hope.
I love most of the art. Several of my favorite paintings are in this collection and I found so many new favorites that I’d never viewed before and never knew existed, most by artists who have other work I enjoy.
The accompanying text makes for good enough (modern) art history lessons. I appreciate that paintings not discussed have their color images in the back of the book, though in a very small size. I don’t have to wonder what other work was included in the exhibit as I do with some exhibit catalogs.
Which brings me to my main quibble with this book: Most of the book is structured so that on the left is the commentary about a particular painting and on the right the painting is shown. On many pages, the painting is shown much smaller than it has to be. Many of them could have retained their shape and been significantly larger with less white space on the page. This was so frustrating to me. I might not have minded as much had I seen the paintings in the museum exhibit, but many reading/looking through the book will have these images as the only versions they see of these paintings. It’s really a shame they couldn’t have been shown as large as possible. Seeing pictures of paintings in a book can never measure up with seeing them in person, but size does matter.
I’m always in awe when quality artwork (especially by eventually famous people) is in the possession of individuals, and I find it fascinating to see which artwork people choose to buy, and I’m very grateful when they share it with the public. I am so glad these works are available for public view. Bill Paley seems like an interesting man; there wasn’t that much about him but there was enough to get a feel for him as an art appreciator.
It’s hard for me to rate this book. So much of the included art is 5 star worthy for me and I’m thrilled to have been able to see it. The text is interesting and well written. And it’s not the book’s fault I didn’t see the exhibit in person. But I can’t give it 5 stars. That would have required every piece to be included with informative captions and larger size presentation for almost all the art. It’s a fine book though and, even if art lovers don’t want to read it in its entirety, it makes a lovely coffee table book fun for perusing.
My copy is actually a paperback but has this cover image, the one that’s the hardcover on Goodreads, and not the image of the paperback (currently) in the Goodreads database.
I love most of the art. Several of my favorite paintings are in this collection and I found so many new favorites that I’d never viewed before and never knew existed, most by artists who have other work I enjoy.
The accompanying text makes for good enough (modern) art history lessons. I appreciate that paintings not discussed have their color images in the back of the book, though in a very small size. I don’t have to wonder what other work was included in the exhibit as I do with some exhibit catalogs.
Which brings me to my main quibble with this book: Most of the book is structured so that on the left is the commentary about a particular painting and on the right the painting is shown. On many pages, the painting is shown much smaller than it has to be. Many of them could have retained their shape and been significantly larger with less white space on the page. This was so frustrating to me. I might not have minded as much had I seen the paintings in the museum exhibit, but many reading/looking through the book will have these images as the only versions they see of these paintings. It’s really a shame they couldn’t have been shown as large as possible. Seeing pictures of paintings in a book can never measure up with seeing them in person, but size does matter.
I’m always in awe when quality artwork (especially by eventually famous people) is in the possession of individuals, and I find it fascinating to see which artwork people choose to buy, and I’m very grateful when they share it with the public. I am so glad these works are available for public view. Bill Paley seems like an interesting man; there wasn’t that much about him but there was enough to get a feel for him as an art appreciator.
It’s hard for me to rate this book. So much of the included art is 5 star worthy for me and I’m thrilled to have been able to see it. The text is interesting and well written. And it’s not the book’s fault I didn’t see the exhibit in person. But I can’t give it 5 stars. That would have required every piece to be included with informative captions and larger size presentation for almost all the art. It’s a fine book though and, even if art lovers don’t want to read it in its entirety, it makes a lovely coffee table book fun for perusing.
My copy is actually a paperback but has this cover image, the one that’s the hardcover on Goodreads, and not the image of the paperback (currently) in the Goodreads database.
October 26, 2010
Wonderful exhibition at the Cincinnati Art Museum. I wish it would be mounted again.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews