, edited by Gordon Chang, Mark Johnson and Paul Karlstrom, and published by Stanford Press. I'm told that the book has been in development for more than a decade and is, remarkably, the first comprehensive survey of artists of Asian ancestry who lived and worked in the United States in the 20th century.Asian American Art features ten essays by preeminent scholars, includes a detailed biographical directory of 159 artists who worked in California from the Gold Rush until 1965, and an art/history chronology that places the careers of these artists against the backdrop of larger political and cultural events.
The book also features more than 400 reproductions of artwork, portraits of artists, and historical ephemera that display the impressive legacy of Asian American art and help bring the artists and their times to life. I haven't seen the actual book, but it sounds like an amazing way to learn about the work of Asian American artists who might've otherwise been forgotten.
If you're in San Francisco, the de Young Museum is currently presenting a complementary exhibit, displaying the works of many of the Asian artists profiled in the book: Asian/American/Modern Art: Shifting Currents, 1900-1970. It runs through January 18, 2009. The same exhibit will open at the Paul Noguchi Museum in New York City on February 25, 2009.
