Many Masks of Modern Art

Here's a gorgeous book presenting 56 entertaining and erudite opinions on the works of a wide variety of artists. Wolff, a prize-winning art critic, is an artist as well as anart lecturer, writer and judge. Controversy could understandably be a synonym for modern art, especially abstractionist art. By 1950, abstractionism had become the dominant force in the art world, partly because of the influence of the likes of Peggy Guggenheim who had more money than taste, knowledge or morals. Guggenheim used her inexhaustible supply of money to promote artists whom she liked for personal reasons that had little to do with their talent or abilities -- at least artistic abilities. This influence led to prominence. Prominence led to contempt -- for traditionalists and those who dared to criticize abstract art.In this atmosphere of prejudice and suspicion strides Wolff with this collection of intelligent and witty articles. He is motivated, he tells us, by concern about the "cavalier manner in which entire categories of artists were...not recognized as serious creative figures.""To prefer one kind of art over another is one thing," Wolff writes, "but then to condemn the rest is to make a mockery out of art."Artists essayed here are varied: from Munch, Mondrian, Roualt and Klee to Warhol, O'Keefe, Cezanne, Homer and Matisse. There's even an essay by Wolff on a charcoal by Wolff. MASKS is a passionate and learned voice expressing with a lyric charm a very personal and individual appreciation of an eclectic assortment of artistic works.Find a copy and put it in your permanent collection. You'll find yourself reading it again and again. And again.