Helen Molesworth

This is an expansive book on exquisite gems with a description of colors, movements, patterns and beauty. When one can’t see the pieces up close, this is the next best thing to visualize photos and learn about them.

The book is organized well and readers are educated with how the stones were originally found. Helen Molesworth has done a remarkable job with researching precious gemstones. She shares her knowledge in chapters of the emerald, ruby, sapphire, garnet, pearl, spinel, quartz, jade show more and, of course, the diamond.

I especially enjoyed reading about those of great wealth who have enjoyed having these pieces in jewelry, fashions and art. The list of women seen with rare gems includes Elizabeth Taylor, Marie Antoinette, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy and Princess Margaret.

The author shares some insight with how her personal life in the auction business has given her rare opportunities to see and handle some of these pieces. Since her childhood, she has loved these precious, stunning stones. She says every piece is different which makes it a fun challenge.

This would be an ideal gift for someone who loves gems or an educational tool for a jeweler. The history is fascinating and I learned some interesting facts. Yet, it was a lot of information for me to personally digest. I think it will benefit readers to also see stunning photos when the book is released as it’s such a visual subject.

My thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of September 17, 2024. show less

Throughout history different gemstones have been valued and gone in and out of fashion. In this book the formation and history of these gems are recounted and woven around anecdotes from the life of an expert. Molesworth has a real passion for her subject and this book does go into serious geological detail but that is woven around so many fascinating stories. It' s a surprisingly great book!

Luc Tuymans is one of today's most widely admired painters, an heir to the great tradition of Northern European painting and an enduring influence on younger and emerging artists. As a European child of the 1950s, his relationship to painting is inevitably structured by television, cinema and by the lingering effects of World War II; more recent historical preoccupations have included the dramatic turn of world events post-9/11. Tuymans combines a muted palette with deteriorated surface show more effect and a singular use of cropping, close-up and sequencing perfect devices with which to undertake his investigation of the pathological, the banal and the conspiratorial. Published in conjunction with the artists first full-scale American survey, this is without question the authoritative publication on Tuymans. It features approximately 80 key works from 1985 to the present, and is accompanied by essays analysing the painters main concerns, with particular attention paid to his working process and his adaptation of source materials. Exhibition co-curator Madeleine Grynsztejn shows that although Tuymans remains loyal to painting as a medium, his tendency to work in suites, and at an increasing scale, also relates his work to current installation and site-specific art. Co-curator Helen Molesworth examines themes of sinister banality, Joseph Leo Koerner writes on iconophobia and iconophilia, Ian Buruma addresses political aspects of Tuymans' work and his relationship to photography, and Bill Horrigan examines cinematic sources. This book is not only the most comprehensive survey of Tuymans' career to date, but also the most thorough chronology of his artistic development. show less

Leap Before You Look was a wonderful exhibition of works at ICA Boston (http://www.icaboston.org/exhibitions/leap-you-look-black-mountain-college-1933–1957) by many of the visual and performing artists, writers, and others who taught, studied, or otherwise participated at Black Mountain College in its 24 years of operation. The college closed in 1957, but the interconnected community of artists involved there is extraordinary and many of these artists were extremely influential on visual show more and performing artists for decades after the college closed.

This catalog for the exhibition represents a wide range of artists, including Josef & Anni Albers, John Cage, Harry Callahan, Merce Cunningham, Fielding Dawson, Robert Duncan, R Buckminster Fuller, Franz Kline, Jacob Lawrence, Charles Olson, Robert Rauschenberg, MC Richards, Cy Twombly, among many others.

Illustrated with many black & white photos, the main body of the text is a collection of short essays inspired by objects in the exhibition. Many of these cover an artist's full career, whether they were a student or faculty member at Black Mountain, others simply describe a particular artwork.

Look Before You Leap may well inspire you to learn more about Black Mountain College. For a more detailed history of Black Mountain College see Martin Duberman's book (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/274275.Black_Mountain); for a more in-depth look at the arts at & from Black Mountain College, see books by Mary Emma Harris (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1336432.The_Arts_at_Black_Mountain_College), Vincent Katz (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/653069.Black_Mountain_College) & Eva Diaz (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20701869-the-experimenters). Many of the students and faculty have also written about their experiences there and/or discussed their time at the school in interviews. show less