Alfred H. Barr, Jr: Missionary for the modern

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Summary: Breathe Some Life Into Me
Review: Ms. Marquis has certainly done quite a bit of research, 48 pages of notes follow the text, but in the end I asked myself: where is the man? I learned quite a bit about the Museum of Modern Art and the Rockefeller's generosity, as well as their stinginess, but you never get a sense of who Barr was. This is a zero-gossip tome, but I admit I wasn't bored by it, it's very close to being entertaining. However, one thing that annoyed me to no end was Marquis' use of the word niggling. It appears on at least three separate occasions. The word stuck out with me because it is proceeded a few pages earlier by the equally annoying word niggardly. Doesn't the use of that word get politicians in trouble?

Rating:
Summary: A fascinating biography of the founder of MOMA
Review: This book is just great fun to read and highly educational. In addition to being a biography of Alfred Barr, it is a documentary of a moment in which New York replaced Paris as the center of the Art World. Invaluable for understanding the arts and personalities in the art world who still affect us today.