Category Archives: art history

Mary Blume, “The Master of Us All: Balenciaga, His Workrooms, His World”

Posted on March 13, 2013 by carolwallace

I’m going to start with a quotation here, and if you don’t like it you can just move on, because while I adored The Master of Us All, not every reader wants to devote a few hours to a long-dead … Continue reading →

Posted in art history, biography, French | Tagged | Leave a comment

Pierre Assouline, “Le Portrait”

Posted on January 17, 2013 by carolwallace

It’s not easy to buy me books, but Beloved Husband outdid himself this Christmas. And say what we will about the state of the book market, it’s pretty cool that he could find a French paperback published in 2007 and … Continue reading →

Posted in art history, French | 8 Comments

Erica Hirshler, “Sargent’s Daughters”

Posted on May 8, 2012 by carolwallace

I’m a big fan of John Singer Sargent’s paintings and on a recent visit to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, I was moved by the room devoted to his portrayals of the Edward Darley Boit family. Of course … Continue reading →

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Elizabeth Kostova, “The Swan Thieves”

Posted on December 19, 2011 by carolwallace

There was a lot of fuss over Elizabeth Kostova’s earlier book, The Historian, and I tried to read it but could not quite cozy up to the Dracula theme, the violence, the portentousness. The Swan Thieves, though, was a much … Continue reading →

Posted in art history, contemporary fiction, historical fiction | Tagged | 4 Comments

Steven Naifeh & Gregory White Smith, “Van Gogh: The Life”

Posted on December 6, 2011 by carolwallace

Phew! Sorry — but really, who doesn’t feel relief upon finishing a volume that runs 870 pages? I read a paper-bound galley of Van Gogh: The Life and had a hard time just managing its physical bulk. This is not a … Continue reading →

Posted in art history, best seller, biography | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Steve Martin, “An Object of Beauty”

Posted on June 5, 2011 by carolwallace

An Object of Beauty should have been right up my alley — who wouldn’t like a fable about the contemporary art market? Complete with full-color reproductions of artworks and an ambitious girl heroine? Scenes of auctions, galleries, and art-buying jaunts to … Continue reading →

Posted in art history, contemporary fiction | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Pierre Assouline, “Le dernier des Camondo”

Posted on April 8, 2011 by carolwallace

Visitors to the wonderful Parisian house museum, Musée Nissim de Camondo, tend to get hung up by the photographs. There you are, gazing your fill at the stupendous decorative arts ensemble — paneling, tapestries, porcelain, mind-blowing 18th century furniture. And … Continue reading →

Posted in art history, French | Tagged , | 13 Comments

Calvin Tomkins, “Living Well Is the Best Revenge”

Posted on February 1, 2011 by carolwallace

Living Well Is the Best Revenge was  widely read in my parents’ social circles when it was first published as a book in the early 1970s, so when it turned up on the magical laundry room shelves of course I … Continue reading →

Posted in art history | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Carol Wallace, “Leaving Van Gogh”

Posted on January 12, 2011 by carolwallace

No, I’m not actually going to review my own book! But I’ve made a page for it — see the tab above, far right. It doesn’t come out until April but we are starting to build an online profile for … Continue reading →

Posted in art history, contemporary fiction, literary fiction | Tagged | 12 Comments

Martin Gayford, “Man with a Blue Scarf”

Posted on December 22, 2010 by carolwallace

And to think that I almost missed this book, which is subtitled, “On Sitting for a Portrait by Lucian Freud.” I was sent it by a friend, who thought the account of intense engagement with an artist would interest me. … Continue reading →

Posted in art history, memoir | Tagged | 4 Comments