Monuments and Myths is the first publication to examine the intersecting careers of Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Daniel Chester French, the leading American sculptors of the Gilded Age. With rich new thinking and stunning photographs, the catalogue examines the role America’s most iconic public sculptures in the complex negotiation of national identity. Featuring new essays by leading scholars and impressive new photography of the collections of two treasured historic sites, the book re-examines the significance of public monuments in the complex negotiation of American identity. Focused on Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Daniel Chester French the beautiful catalogue offers a critical look at the artists’ public and private works in the context of evolving ideas about race and representation, Indigeneity, civic space, memory, and American history.

A New American Sculpture, 1914-1945 is the first publication to situate the individual contributions of Gaston Lachaise, Robert Laurent, Elie Nadelman, and William Zorach into a compelling constellation of artists with shared aesthetic and social concerns. Although each European-born, American artist cultivated his own distinct style, their creative priorities were all deeply rooted in quiet composition, synthetic approaches to anatomy, and architectural unity of curves and volume. At a time when abstract forms were popular, Lachaise, Laurent, Nadelman, and Zorach were all ultimately in favor of maintaining the integrity of the human body to explore modernist styles. This handsome book underscores their unrelenting search for a novel American visual tradition at the intersection of modernism, historic visual culture, and contemporary popular imagery. Distributed for the Portland Museum of Art Exhibition Schedule: Portland Museum of Art (05/26/17-09/08/17) Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, Tennessee (10/14/17-01/07/18) Amon Carter Museum of American Art (02/17/18-05/13/18)