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The
calendar art of Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966)
and his covers for Collier's , Ladies' Home
Journal, and other magazines in the early decades
of the 20th century look include some of the
classics of American prints & murals and
the Art Deco design aesthetic. Featuring 145
color plates and 30 photographs, this snazzy
showcase of Maxfield Parrish's art will please
both fans and collectors. The book explores
the ambitious scope of Parrish's murals such
as the extensive Florentine Fete murals and
The Pied Piper, the dazzling tonalities of his
book illustrations, the magical flavor of his
children's pictures, and the dignity and beauty
of his paintings of the American southwest.
Maxfield Parrish: The Masterworks stands
as the authoritative collection of Parrish’s
best works and brings together the most popular
and important of Parrish’s paintings, prints,
and murals including Dinkey Bird, Interlude,
and the sublime Daybreak, which sold for a record
$4.25 million at a Sotheby’s auction in 1996.
Also included are some of Parrish’s lesser-known
works, through which we see the development
of the artist’s style and technique. Through
historical analysis, contemporary news clippings,
and letters from the artist himself, we get
to know the genius behind the artwork. The author
Alma Gilbert, founder and director of the Maxfield
Parrish Museum in Plainfield, N.H., is considered
one of the premier authorities on Maxfield Parrish.
Gilbert devotes a chapter to Parrish's technique,
reprints several of his witty letters and discusses
his extramarital affair with live-in companion
and model Susan Lewin. In 1998, she opened the
Cornish Colony Gallery and Museum in Cornish,
New Hampshire, which houses the largest collection
of original Parrish oil paintings available
for public viewing.
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