The Why of Modern Sculpture

The Art of Sculpture, by Herbert Read. 152 pp. 226 plates. Bollingen Series. New York: Pantheon Books. $7.50

“The purpose of this book,” Sir Herbert Read points out in the preface, “is to give, with appropriate illustrations, an aesthetic of the art of sculpture.” This purpose has been achieved with great skill, philosophic insight and a rare clarity of expression. This volume has as its basis the A. W. Mellon lectures, delivered by Sir Herbert at Washington’s National Gallery of Art in 1954, and it is perhaps this relation to the spoken word, the live contact with an audience, which gives the book its vivid conciseness.

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Christiane Kuehnelt-Leddihn

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The Art of Sculpture, by Herbert Read. 152 pp. 226 plates. Bollingen Series. New York: Pantheon Books. $7.50

“The purpose of this book,” Sir Herbert Read points out in the preface, “is to give, with appropriate illustrations, an aesthetic of the art of sculpture.” This purpose has been achieved with great skill, philosophic insight and a rare clarity of expression. This volume has as its basis the A. W. Mellon lectures, delivered by Sir Herbert at Washington’s National Gallery of Art in 1954, and it is perhaps this relation to the spoken word, the live contact with an audience, which gives the book its vivid conciseness.