Overview

This transatlantic study analyses a missing chapter in the history of art collecting, the first art market bubble in the United States. In the decades following the Civil War, French art monopolized art collections across the United States. During this “Gilded Age picture rush,” the commercial art system—art dealers, galleries, auction houses, exhibitions, museums, art journals, press coverage, art histories, and collection catalogues—established a strong foothold it has not relinquished to this day. In addition, a pervasive concern for improving aesthetics and providing the best contemporary art to educate the masses led to the formation not only of private art collections, but also of institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and to the publication of art histories. Richly informed by collectors’ and art dealers’ diaries, letters, stock books, journals, and hitherto neglected art histories, The New York Market for French Art in the Gilded Age, 1867-1893 offers a fresh perspective on this trailblazing era.

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9781501358333

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Leanne Zalewski's thoroughly researched book surveys relations among wealthy American collectors of French Academic art and international art dealers in the period between Paris's 1867 Universal Exposition and Chicago's 1893 Columbian Exposition. Analyzing auction catalogs, media, markets, private collections, and dealers' stock books, Zalewski presents a fascinating, innovative contribution to studies of art collecting and the art market. * Julie Codell, Professor of Art History, Arizona State University, USA * The famed 'Gilded Age Picture Rush' spurred the creation of renowned American private and public collections. Examining this pivotal moment, Zalewski provides a thoughtful, and theoretically significant contribution to the History of the American Art Market. * Agnes Penot *

Leanne Zalewski's thoroughly researched book surveys relations among wealthy American collectors of French Academic art and international art dealers in the period between Paris's 1867 Universal Exposition and Chicago's 1893 Columbian Exposition. Analyzing auction catalogs, media, markets, private collections, and dealers' stock books, Zalewski presents a fascinating, innovative contribution to studies of art collecting and the art market. * Julie Codell, Professor of Art History, Arizona State University, USA *

Author Information

Dr. Leanne Zalewski has published articles on art collections, participated in numerous conferences on early Gilded Age art collecting, and received support for her research from the Getty Research Institute, Huntington Library, Center for the History of Collecting in America at the Frick Art Collection, and the American Association of University Professors.

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