The most comprehensive review of the Provincetown Artist Colony to date,
this two-volume set is complete with conversations with many artists,
including Robert Motherwell, Jack Tworkov, Red Grooms, Raphael Soyer,
and Chaim Gross, and nearly 300 images of works by those artists, as
well as Childe Hassam, Hans Hofmann, Franz Kline, Adolph Gottlieb,
Edward Hopper, and numerous others. Attracted by its sparkling natural
light and spirit of freedom, artists have flocked to Provincetown since
the late 19th century. Now recognized by the National Trust for Historic
Preservation as the home of the nation's oldest art colony, Provincetown
is a microcosm of American art of the last century, as well as a
community for artists who played vital roles in American art movements.
In volume one, Deborah Forman traces the history of these artists from
1899, when Charles Hawthorne opened his Cape Cod School of Art, through
the struggles among traditionalists, impressionists, modernists, and
abstract expressionists. Volume two picks up at mid-century and
continues to the present day with discussions and art by Paul Resika,
Arnold Newman, Joel Meyerowitz, Arthur Cohen, Michael Mazur, Anne
Packard, and many others. Throughout this valuable resource,
Provincetown's rich art heritage is captured through more than sixty
personal accounts from artists, collectors, gallery owners, and writers
who shared their stories, views of art, and love of Provincetown with
the author.
