Carnegie Museum of Art Director’s Choice Book Features Highlights of Entire Collection

PITTSBURGH, PA.- Carnegie Museum of Art announced the publication of Director’s Choice: Carnegie Museum of Art, the latest in a new series of books by Scala Publishers introducing readers to the collections of the world’s great museums through the unique voices and perspectives of their directors.

Lynn Zelevansky, The Henry J. Heinz II Director of Carnegie Museum of Art, has selected 37 objects that not only “resonate intellectually and emotionally” with her, but also represent the nature and scope of the museum’s collection. Zelevansky has been director since July 2009, and the book is her first publication focusing on the museum’s collection. Her fresh perspective on the selected works offers accessible insights into their creators’ ideas, the cultures and time periods represented, and the history of the museum and Pittsburgh.

“I hope the catalogue, with its easy-to-use format, facilitates an exploration of the fascinating collection housed in Carnegie Museum of Art, a collection that is, in many aspects, superb, and that speaks volumes about the culture of the city in which it is housed,” said Zelevansky.

Andrew Carnegie, Pittsburgh industrialist, philanthropist, and founder of Carnegie Institute in 1895, envisioned a museum collection consisting of the “Old Masters of tomorrow.” As a result, Carnegie Museum of Art is widely considered to be the first American museum devoted to international contemporary art. Zelevansky’s selections reflect that foundation, illuminating how the collection has been expanded to include fine holdings of earlier European and North American painting and sculpture; an excellent collection of Japanese prints; significant photographs, films, and videos; important representations of architecture; and decorative arts and design. Among the objects selected by Zelevansky are works by Mary Cassatt, Julia Margaret Cameron, Vincent van Gogh, Frank Lloyd Wright, Willem de Kooning, Marc Newson, and Bruce Nauman.

Director’s Choice is the first collection handbook, encompassing all museum departments since The Carnegie Museum of Art Collection Highlights, published in 1995 and now out of print. The compact format of the 80-page, full-color publication—just 6 1/2 by 7 1/2 inches and less than half an inch thick—is convenient to carry and handle. The ideal holiday gift, Director’s Choice is priced at $14.95 and is at the museum store or online at www.cmoa.org.

Scala Publisher’s Director’s Choice series continues to expand; the Carnegie Museum of Art publication is the fifth title to date, joining volumes on museums such as the National Gallery in London .

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