Master Pieces: The Curator's Game
Credited with initiating the blockbuster exhibitions that have made museums a destination for the many rather than an enclave for the few, Hoving, a former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and a best-selling author, shares an insider strategy, the "curator's game." It's a simple endeavor. One curator presents his or her peers with close-up photographs of details found in various artworks. The others must then identify the canvas from which it came. Since a curator's work, Hoving writes, is "all about looking," especially "scrutinizing the details," this game sharpens a curator's investigative skills and knowledge. In keeping with his egalitarian spirit, Hoving has created a challenging game of "master pieces" for the public: 214 details and verbal clues are sorted into categories that range from vases to farm animals to bottoms (Hoving's irreverent approach to nudes) to angels. These are followed by reproductions of the 57 paintings from which these details are taken, each the subject of a pithy and informative essay. In all, this is good, smart fun handsomely presented.Donna SeamanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved