154 pp, small 4to (10 1/4" H), hard cover in dust jacket. "In this thoughtful summation, John I. H. Bauer, one of the pioneers of American art history, eloquently conveys the quality of the man who remains one of the most individual American artist s of the twentieth century. Stella has hitherto been remembered principally for his Futurist paintings - brilliant, innovative canvases that have an important place in American art. But this evaluation is one-sided, obscuring other interestin g a s p ects of his work. Stella's industrial scenes exhibited for the first time the 'peculiarly American hybridization of realism and abstraction' that characterized (and may have influenced) the work of Sheeler and other Precisionists. He expe ri m en te d with still life and produced an extraordinary series of jungle fantasies, inspired initially by North African scenes and later by the lush verdure of Barbados. But, in the author's opinion, it is the collages that stand out today as St ell a' s g rea te st innovation. Drawing on the exuberant, forceful writing of Stella and on his own perceptiveness and scholarship, Baur has created an indelible portrait of an artist whose work is as contradictory and enigmatic as it is compellin g." Mi nor soil ing on bottom of textblock, a few small faint liquid marks on rear board, minor bump at bottom of spine. Dust jacket has very light edge wear, light wrinkling with color loss at bottom of spine, light rubbing. Very Good/Very Good

JOSEPH STELLA AMERICAN ARTISTS FUTURISM ABSTRACT BOTANICAL STUDIES BROOKLYN