In 1883 fourteen men and eleven women incorporated the Minneapolis Society of Fine Arts "to advance the knowledge and love of art." Their dream of establishing a public museum was realized three decades later, when the Minneapolis Institute of Arts opened its doors in 1915, housed in a building designed by McKim, Mead, and White. Since that time, the permanent collection of the museum has grown to one hundred thousand objects and includes representative masterpieces from every continent and age.
This beautifully produced handbook, abounding with full-color illustrations, pictures key objects in the Institute's collection and provides basic information about the cultures that made them. Selected Works is organized chronologically by broad historical periods-the ancient world, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the baroque period, and the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries-and includes sections devoted to Asian and American art and the art of indigenous peoples. Presenting the best works in the collection and demonstrating the wide range and diversity of holdings, it is a valuable resource for anyone with an interest in the visual arts.
Sandra LaWall Lipshultz is an editor at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
