This interdisciplinary collection of case studies rethinks corporate
patronage in the United States and reveals the central role corporations
have played in shaping American culture. The case studies in this volume
offers new methodologies and models for the subject of corporate
patronage, going beyond the usual focus on corporate sponsorship and
collecting to explore the complex organizational networks and
motivations behind corporate commissions. Featuring chapters on Margaret
Bourke-White, Julie Mehretu, Maxfield Parrish, Pablo Picasso, Diego
Rivera, Eugene Savage, Millard Sheets, and Kehinde Wiley, as well as
studies on Andrew Carnegie, Andrew Mellon, John D. Rockefeller Sr. and
Jr., and Dorothy Shaver, and companies such as Herman Miller and Lord
and Taylor, this book looks at a wide array of works, ranging from
sculpture, photography, mosaics, and murals to advertisements,
department store displays, sportswear, medical schools, and public
libraries. It also contains an extensive bibliography on corporate
patronage, art collections and exhibitions, sponsorship, and
philanthropy in the United States.