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The Bottom Line

If your artistic curiosity means you enjoy the quirky, the minutiae of daily life, the trivial-yet-meaningful to the originator, and the opportunity to peep into other artist's routines and lives, then you'll probably enjoy this book. I do, and I certainly did. With almost 70 lists from different artists, each with a photo of the item, transcript and short contextual explanation, it's great for dipping into for a short artistic distraction.



Pros

• Almost 70 lists by artists, on all sorts of subjects, each with a photo of the list.
• Engaging, intriguing, informative, and at times amusing

Cons

• Remember it's from the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art, so the artists are mostly American.

Description

• Paperback book with flaps, 208pp. 115 color illustrations; 25 black-and-white. ISBN 978-1-56898-8887. Index
• Published by Princeton Architectural Press, January 2010.
  
• Author Liza Kirwin is the curator of manuscripts at the Smithsonian Institution Archives of American Art.
• Includes transcriptions and translations of the lists where needed. Introductory chapter on The List as Art.
• Eight sections: Expenses, Instructions, Recording Names, Inventory, To-do, Biographical Details, Exhibition, Inspiration.

Guide Review - Lists ... from the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art

The full title of this book -- Lists, To-dos, Illustrated Inventories, Collected Thoughts, and Other Artists' Enumerations from the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art -- tells you exactly what to expect and hints at the quirkiness of the contents.

Each list has a photo of the original, a transcript and translation if necessary, plus a bit of text giving a context for the list and info on the artist.

For instance, there's a thumbnail list of paintings by Oscar Bluemner including dimensions, date, and media, which sounds highly organized but his orderly inventory is undermined by his use of abbreviations and shorthand. A list by Walt Kuhn of models he used with notes about each ("not reliable", "110 lbs brunette").

An illustrated list by Adolf Konrad done in watercolors of what to pack when traveling, complete with a painting of the artist wearing nothing but his underpants and vest. I found counting the number of tubes of paint, brushes, and pens irresistible (there's a photo on the Smithsonian blog).

Other lists include shopping lists, lists of supplies to buy, places to visit, and to-do lists. If you're a list-maker yourself, I suggest adding reading this book to your must-read list. And reading it with a pencil in hand to tick off the individual artists in the index as you go along.

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