Russian Art And American Money: 1900-1940
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Condition: Good. Jacket: Worn/faded - small tears. Page Condition: Good. Markings: No markings. Usual shelf-wear.
At the turbulent intersection of revolutionary Russia and capitalist America, a remarkable cultural exchange unfolded — one driven as much by politics and profit as by aesthetic passion. Russian Art and American Money: 1900–1940 chronicles the extraordinary story of how American collectors, dealers, and institutions acquired vast quantities of Russian art during one of history's most convulsive periods, from the twilight of the Tsarist era through the upheavals of revolution, civil war, and Stalinist consolidation. Robert C. Williams traces the networks of patronage, commerce, and diplomacy that funnelled Fabergé eggs, Imperial treasures, and avant-garde masterworks across the Atlantic, illuminating the motivations of the magnates and museum directors who shaped these transactions. Williams brings the precision of a historian and the narrative instinct of a storyteller to this sweeping account, grounding grand geopolitical forces in the vivid particulars of individual collectors and their sometimes reckless acquisitions. The work raises enduring questions about the ethics of cultural transfer, the commodification of national heritage, and the ways in which art becomes a pawn in the game of ideology — questions that resonate far beyond the decades it covers. For anyone captivated by the entangled fates of art, money, and empire, this account leaves one wondering just how much of Russia's soul was quietly sold to the highest bidder.
Author: Robert C. Williams
Format: Hardback
Published: 1980, Harvard University Press
Genre: History of arts
Condition remarks:
Condition: Good. Jacket: Worn/faded - small tears. Page Condition: Good. Markings: No markings. Usual shelf-wear.
At the turbulent intersection of revolutionary Russia and capitalist America, a remarkable cultural exchange unfolded — one driven as much by politics and profit as by aesthetic passion. Russian Art and American Money: 1900–1940 chronicles the extraordinary story of how American collectors, dealers, and institutions acquired vast quantities of Russian art during one of history's most convulsive periods, from the twilight of the Tsarist era through the upheavals of revolution, civil war, and Stalinist consolidation. Robert C. Williams traces the networks of patronage, commerce, and diplomacy that funnelled Fabergé eggs, Imperial treasures, and avant-garde masterworks across the Atlantic, illuminating the motivations of the magnates and museum directors who shaped these transactions. Williams brings the precision of a historian and the narrative instinct of a storyteller to this sweeping account, grounding grand geopolitical forces in the vivid particulars of individual collectors and their sometimes reckless acquisitions. The work raises enduring questions about the ethics of cultural transfer, the commodification of national heritage, and the ways in which art becomes a pawn in the game of ideology — questions that resonate far beyond the decades it covers. For anyone captivated by the entangled fates of art, money, and empire, this account leaves one wondering just how much of Russia's soul was quietly sold to the highest bidder.