Margaret K. Hofer

Louis C. Tiffany s intricate and brilliantly coloured masterpieces have captivated collectors for decades, and continue to inspire crafters who re-create them in home workshops today. This collection showcases eighty of the firm s most iconic lamps, including rare and one-of-a-kind creations. These examples have all been newly photographed in sumptuous detail to reveal features in the glass and metalwork that have never been seen before in print. Intricate patterns dazzle with kaleidoscopic fantasies: wisteria that twists and curls with grace, peonies that explode with colour, and dragonflies that dance with the light. Uniting a reverence for nature and a fascination with the artistic potential of glass, Louis C. Tiffany and his designers created a revolutionary design aesthetic that brought the beauty of the natural world into the home. This book explores Tiffany Studios innovative adaptation of electric light: sheathing the incandescent light bulb in a shimmering veil of leaded glass. Beautifully designed and produced in an intimate format, The Lamps of Tiffany Studios presents a jewel-box package that makes the perfect gift for any art lover.

'Making it Modern' features approximately 100 folk art objects acquired by the avant-garde sculptor Elie Nadelman and his wife, Viola, between 1919 and 1934, when the couple were forced to find a buyer for their vast collection of 70,000 pieces. Most were bought by the New-York Historical Society in 1937. This substantial volume presents all of the objects in full-colour plates, covering a huge range of geographic areas and media, including Pennsylvania German folk art, imposing large-scale wooden sculptures and oil portrait paintings, 19th-century metal and wooden toys, drawings and watercolours and household tools and small objects. Archival photographs reveal the way in which the Nadelmans exhibited their most treasured works in their own purpose-built Museum of Folk and Peasant Arts in Riverdale, NY in the 1920s and 1930s. 'Making it Modern' explores several key themes, notably the definition of folk art, both in the early 20th century and as it is generally accepted today, its influence on modernism and Nadelman's own sculpture, and the relationship between American and European folk art. This is a major contribution to the study and understanding of folk art, and to Nadelman's own appealing and engaging sculpture. AUTHOR: Margaret K. Hofer is curator of decorative arts, New-York Historical Society Roberta J. M. Olson is curator of drawings, New-York Historical Society SELLING POINTS: . A major contribution to the study and understanding of folk art, and to Nadelman's own appealing and engaging sculpture. . Explores the definition of folk art, its influence on modernism and the relationship between American and European folk art. 250 colour and 50 b/w illustrations

'Stories in Sterling' is the first comprehensive survey of the New York Historical Society's superb collection of early American silver, one of the finest in the United States. It features the full range of silver works, from masterpieces like the 1772 salver by New York City silversmith Lewis Fueter, to the simpler, but no less significant teapot made for the Schuyler family by the Albany silversmith Kiliaen Van Rensselaer in 1695 - one of the earliest teapots made in New York. Seven chapters consider silver from a range of perspectives: its reflection of the multiethnic character of colonial New York; the impact of industrialisation on its manufacture and consumption; its role in honouring public achievement or marking rites of passage; and, finally, its ability to express its owners' social standing. With a wealth of related objects and original documents, 'Stories in Sterling' is a vital reference tool for scholars, collectors and enthusiasts of American silver and culture. Published to accompany an exhibtion at the New York Historical Society from May 4 to September 2, 2012.