Small-Great Objects
Subtitle: Anni and Josef Albers in the Americas
By: Jennifer Reynolds-Kaye ; with an essay by Michael D. Coe
Contributors: Coe, Michael D., contributor; Yale University. Art Gallery
Published: 2017
Language: eng
Number of pages: 96
ISBN-13: 9780300225693
Subjects: Art collections; Indian sculpture; Exhibitions; Josef and Anni Albers Foundation; Art; Peabody Museum of Natural History; Indian art; Collectors and collecting; Private collections
Description: "Small-Great Objects" presents a remarkable look into the art-collecting practices of two of modern art's most widely influential figures, Anni (1899-1994) and Josef (1888-1976) Albers. Their impressive collection of over 1,400 objects from Latin America, namely Mexico and Peru, represents a conscious endeavor that goes well beyond that of a casual hobby, displaying a deep appreciation for the art, textiles, and overall ingenuity of the ancient American world. This insightful book draws on primary-source materials such as the couple's letters, personal papers, and archival photographs-many never before published-and demonstrates their conviction that these Prehispanic objects displayed a formal sophistication and bold abstraction that defy the prevalent conception of the works as "primitive." Moreover, it shows how the Alberses spread their appreciation of the ancient world to others, through their teachings, their writings, and their own art practices. Exhibition: Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, USA (03.02-18.06.2017).
Notes: Published in conjunction with the exhibition organized by the Yale University Art Gallery and held there February 3-June 18, 2017.

Includes bibliographical references.
Table of contents: title: The Ancient American World of Anni and Josef Albers  -- Michael D. Coe; title: Making Mesoamerica Modern: Anni and Josef Albers as Collectors of Ancient American Art  -- Jennifer Reynolds-Kaye; title: Selected Objects.