PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
For More Information, Contact:

Jacqueline Allen, Chair
2000 George Wittenborn Memorial Award Committee
(214) 922-1276
(214) 954-0174 fax
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22nd ANNUAL George Wittenborn memorial book Awards PRESENTED IN LOS ANGELES

On April 1, 2001, in Los Angeles, California during the annual conference of
the Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA), the 22nd annual
George Wittenborn Memorial Book Awards were presented to three exemplary
publications published in the year 2000.  Established in 1981 to honor the
memory of the premier New York City art book dealer and publisher, the
George Wittenborn Memorial Book Awards are given each year to North American
art publications which represent the highest standards of art publishing.
Winners must combine excellence in both scholarly content and in book
design.  Up to three awards can be granted each year.  Presentations were
made to authors during the convocation ceremony held in the Harold. M.
Williams Auditorium of the Getty Center.  Winning titles were:

The Hours of Henry VIII: A Renaissance Masterpiece by Jean Poyet, Roger S.
Wieck, William M. Voelkle, and K. Michelle Hearne (New York: George
Braziller Publisher in association with The Pierpont Morgan Library, 2000)

The Hours of Henry VIII: A Renaissance Masterpiece by Jean Poyet, was
written by Roger S. Wieck, William M. Voelkle, and K. Michelle Hearne  and
published by George Braziller in association with The Pierpont Morgan
Library.  This gorgeous book reproduces, in color true to the original, at
approximately 107% of their original size, all of the fifty-five images from
the Hours of Henry VIII.  Author, Roger S. Wieck, documents the scope of
this one illuminator's work and places the artist and his oeuvre in art
historical context.  The Hours of Henry VIII has a fascinating history as it
was once attributed  to a different artist and only within the last 20 years
has the scholarship shifted the credit back to Poyet.  The focus of this
book is centrally placed on the analysis of one manuscript by one
illuminator, however the book as a whole is invaluable in gaining a greater
understanding and appreciation for Books of Hours.  This is a groundbreaking
project for the Morgan Library - where in the past a book or show on the
topic would primarily deal with a school of thought and not treat the
artists individually.  The volume ends with valuable Appendices covering the
Description of the Manuscript, Provenance and Bibliographies.  The
Bibliographies are divided into four sections and cover Jean Poyet, Books of
Hours and Liturgy, Saints and Iconography, and a full citation list of works
abbreviated in the first three sections.

Women Designers in the USA 1900-2000: Diversity and Difference, Pat Kirkham,
editor  (New Haven; London: Yale University Press for The Bard Graduate
Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, 2000)

Women Designers in the USA 1900-2000: Diversity and Difference, also
accompanies an exhibition at the Bard Graduate Center that just recently
closed.  Edited by Pat Kirkham and published by Yale University Press for
The Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, this volume
fills a void in the literature on this topic.  Years of discussions and
correspondence have culminated into this volume, which provides an
indispensable reference for any library, which serves patrons with an
interest in 20th century design and women designers.  Stunning itself in
design and execution, the book includes contributions by no less than 21
noted experts, who were assisted by - among others - an equally exhaustive
list of curators and librarians!  Along with 17 essays, the book includes as
its first section, a Context Line to quickly place an event in its cultural
context.  Attention to detail is just one prize winning quality of this
book.  Illustrations are placed within close proximity to the text.  Full
credit lines for each image add value to this book as a unique reference
source on this subject.  You will find the same attention to detail in
production of the checklist where selections from the exhibition are
inserted into the list above descriptions.  The last 60 pages of the book
are devoted to notes, bibliography and a 10-page index.  The index includes
persons, along with important design training centers, collectives,
competitions, exhibitions and cultural movements making this the first place
to look on the topic of Women and Design.

The Complete Jacob Lawrence. 2 vols, Peter T. Nesbett and Michelle DuBois
(Seattle; London: University of Washington Press, 2000)

The Complete Jacob Lawrence, a 2 volume set edited by Peter T. Nesbett and
Michelle DuBois and published by the University of Washington Press in
association with the Jacob Lawrence Catalog Raisonne Project, is the
definitive publication on the art and life of Jacob Lawrence.

The volume entitled Jacob Lawrence, Paintings, Drawings and Murals:  a
Catalog Raisonne documents over 900 works in full color and serves as a
comprehensive reference to Lawrence's oeuvre.  Accompanying the catalog
raisonne is an extensive bibliography that includes a cumulative listing of
books, exhibition catalogs and articles written by and about Jacob Lawrence.


The second volume Over the Line: The Art and Life of Jacob Lawrence consists
of an in depth chronology that documents Lawrence's life - from his Dewey
education and art mentorship as a youth to his progressive recognition by
prestigious galleries, museums, and universities.  Following the Chronology
are eight richly detailed essays by eminent scholars in the field of art
history and African American studies.  The essays, which are accompanied by
lavish illustrations, address the consecutive stages of Lawrence's life and
the rich iconography of his work.

Both volumes, along with their attractive slipcase, demonstrate all of the
qualities necessary to be a Wittenborn winner.  In examining the volumes you
will find beautiful typesetting, logical placement of illustrations and an
overall cohesive design that clearly states it is a winner.  What really
makes the project extraordinary is the note that informs the reader that
Jacob Lawrence passed away at press time.  How timely and prescient it was
of editors DuBois and Nesbett, and publisher University of Washington Press,
to embark on this project while Lawrence was still living.

We were delighted to have the principle authors of each winning title
present at the Getty to accept the award.  Present were Roger Wieck for The
Hours of Henry VIII: A Renaissance Masterpiece by Jean Poyet, Pat Kirkham
for Women Designers in the USA 1900-2000: Diversity and Difference and Peter
Nesbett and Michelle DuBois for The Complete Jacob Lawrence.

In addition, there were three Honorable Mention winners this year:

Campbell Collection of Soup Tureens at Winterthur,  Donald L. Fennimore, and
Patricia A. Halfpenny (Delaware: Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum,
2000)

The Campbell Collection of Soup Tureens at Winterthur, published by the
Henry Francis Dupont Winterthur Museum was principally authored by Donald L.
Fennimore, and Patricia A. Halfpenny both noted scholars at Winterthur.
This marvelous catalog, brings new meaning to the phrase we all associate
with Campbell soup: M'm! M'm! Good.  With its sleek design and gorgeous
reproductions, the catalog instantly draws the reader into the surprisingly
exotic world of soup tureens.  The Campbell collection, which numbers close
to three hundred objects from twenty-one countries, includes tureens, soup
plates, bowls, spoons, and ladles.  This informative catalog details 121
superlative objects from that collection, along with providing a fascinating
introduction to soup service.  Catalog entries are smartly organized and
color-coded by material -- metalwork, porcelain and
earthenware/stoneware--then subsequently arranged by country and date of
production.  The porcelain and earthenware/stoneware sections add
discussions of factories.  Exhaustive object information includes maker,
object discussion, measurement/materials, provenance, and literature with
the latter three items being listed under the superb photograph of the
object.  Thumbnails highlight details of various markings.  Reproductions of
historic menus, recipes, and other illustrations drawn from the Winterthur
library and archives, liven the text and help put the objects into context.
Appendixes include an elemental analysis of a selection of silver-based
objects, along with endnotes, bibliography, and index.  With a balance of
scholarly excellence and the highest production and design values, this
catalog clearly demonstrates the Wittenborn ideal.

Stories in Red and Black: Pictorial Histories of the Aztecs and Mixtecs,
Elizabeth Hill Boone (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2000)

Stories in Red and Black: Pictorial Histories of the Aztecs and Mixtecs, by
Elizabeth Hill Boone was published in Austin by the University of Texas
Press.  This copiously illustrated book offers the first comprehensive
analysis of the Mexican painted history as an intellectual, documentary and
pictorial genre.  While serving as a handy reference for the scholar, it
also opens the world of these pictorial histories to the avocational student
of Pre-columbian history who wants to learn how to read the codices and
uncover the stories and legends they preserve.  The publisher and designer
were careful also to place figures in close proximity to the text.  In most
cases, further explanatory text is found with the image and present location
of the original is noted..  Also, the list of illustrations found at the
front of the book serves as a quick reference to the codices discussed.  The
book ends with a comprehensive bibliography and complete index.

Steichen's Legacy: Photographs, 1895-1973,  Joanna Steichen, ed. (New York:
Alfred A. Knopf, 2000)

Steichen's Legacy: Photographs, 1895-1973 was edited and includes text by
Joanna Steichen.  Published in New York by Alfred A. Knopf, this volume,
both an art book and personal memoir, is an extraordinary tribute to one of
photography's chief champions and practitioners by the late photographer's
widow.  A spectrum of images, arranged by subject matter, together with
personal reminiscences, provide a unique glimpse into Steichen's life.
Sumptuously designed, this volume beautifully reproduces 315 of Steichen's
images, which were chosen by Joanna Steichen and printed by master printer
George Tice, who was the last person in Steichen's lifetime authorized to
make prints from his negatives.  Following a moving text by Joanna Steichen,
titled Experiencing Steichen,  the photographs are arranged into 19
categories with titles such as Challenging Women, Masters of Music and New
York City, to name a few.  Each has an introductory text and representative
image facing  the text; the images following the introduction are then each
given a full page.  A Chronology is included at the end.

Members of the 22nd Annual George Wittenborn Memorial Book Award Committee
of ARLIS/NA were:
Jacqueline Allen, Dallas Museum of Art; Dallas, Texas (Chair); Tara
Carlisle, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas; Beverly Carver,
University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas; Sam Duncan, Amon Carter
Museum, Ft. Worth, Texas; Stephen Gassett, Kimbell Art Museum, Ft. Worth,
Texas; Mary Leonard, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas; J. Brandon Pope,
Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas; Chia-Chun Shih, Kimbell Art
Museum, Ft. Worth, Texas; Louis Adrean, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland,
Ohio (Board liaison)

ARLIS/NA, founded in 1972, now has nearly 1,300 members in the U.S., Canada,
Mexico and overseas.  It is the only professional organization in North
America devoted exclusively to the concerns of art information specialists.
For more information, please contact

Elizabeth Clarke,
ARLIS/NA Headquarters
329 March Road, Suite 232
Box 11
Kanata, Ontario K2K 2E1, Canada
Tel.: (800) 817-0621
Fax: (613) 599-7027
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