From Library Journal
Texas businessman/philanthropist William Hogg acquired 41 interpretations of the late 19th-century American West by Frederic Remington through the 1920s. His sister, Ima, eventually removed them from the family offices and donated them to Houston's Museum of Fine Arts in 1943. Twenty-two of the "most important" works (oil paintings and one bronze sculpture) have been selected for analysis and color illustration. Neff (curator, Museum of Fine Arts) does a fine job with the catalog entries; her extensive archival research is apparent. Six of the paintings were further analyzed using infrared reflectography and x-radiography by Wynne Phelan (conservator, Museum of Fine Arts). However, those interested in learning more about Remington's art might be disappointed that the other 19 works did not receive this thorough treatment; instead, a checklist with small black-and-white pictures is appended. And the first 37 pages, devoted to Hogg family and business history, is unrelated to the topic at hand. That said, this serious look at one of the most popular Western artists is recommended for academic, museum, and large public libraries collecting Western American art books.-Anne Marie Lane, American Heritage Ctr., Laramie, WY Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Kate Kirkland, Journal of Southern History
Artist and patron receive equal attention in this pathbreaking study.


Review
Artist and patron receive equal attention in this pathbreaking study.


Book Description
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, houses one of the most distinguished collections of works by Frederic Remington (1861-1909) in the country. Featuring Fight for the Water Hole, one of the icons of American art, and many other highlights, the Hogg Brothers Collection is remarkably comprehensive, representing an unparalleled survey of Remington's career. This handsome and generously illustrated book showcases the most important works from this collection--including paintings, works on paper, and a bronze sculpture--establishing each within its appropriate historical, cultural, and political contexts. Drawing on unpublished archival information, the book discusses Remington's spectacular rise to fame as a popular illustrator who mythologized the experience of westward expansion and whose works created the enduring American cowboy archetype, while chronicling the rapidly disappearing Native American cultures. Later paintings in the collection, such as The Call for Help and Episode of the Buffalo Gun, which display rich colors and a bravura brushstroke, are considered anew in the context of previous technical achievement, including works by the French Impressionists. The book begins with an introductory essay about Will Hogg--a contemporary of Remington and one of Houston's most prominent businessmen and philanthropists. In 1943, after the deaths of Will and his brother Mike, their sister Ima donated the works by Remington--in accordance with their wishes--to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. This essay is followed by twenty-two catalogue entries of the most important works in the collection and a conservation essay that details fascinating new information on Remington's technique. The book concludes with an illustrated checklist of all forty-one works by Remington in the Hogg Brothers Collection. Frederic Remington will be of great appeal to those who have long loved and admired this unique American artist. And, with its new technical data and information, the book will also be a valuable addition to libraries of both students and scholars.


About the Author
Emily Ballew Neff is Curator of American Painting and Sculpture at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Her publications include John Singleton Copley in England. Wynne H. Phelan is Director of Conservation at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, houses one of the most distinguished collections of works by Frederic Remington (1861-1909) in the country. Featuring Fight for the Water Hole, one of the icons of American art, and many other highlights, the Hogg Brothers Collection is remarkably comprehensive, representing an unparalleled survey of Remington's career.

This handsome and generously illustrated book showcases the most important works from this collection--including paintings, works on paper, and a bronze sculpture--establishing each within its appropriate historical, cultural, and political contexts. Drawing on unpublished archival information, the book discusses Remington's spectacular rise to fame as a popular illustrator who mythologized the experience of westward expansion and whose works created the enduring American cowboy archetype, while chronicling the rapidly disappearing Native American cultures. Later paintings in the collection, such as The Call for Help and Episode of the Buffalo Gun, which display rich colors and a bravura brushstroke, are considered anew in the context of previous technical achievement, including works by the French Impressionists.

The book begins with an introductory essay about Will Hogg--a contemporary of Remington and one of Houston's most prominent businessmen and philanthropists. In 1943, after the deaths of Will and his brother Mike, their sister Ima donated the works by Remington--in accordance with their wishes--to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. This essay is followed by twenty-two catalogue entries of the most important works in the collection and a conservation essay that details fascinating new information on Remington's technique. The book concludes with an illustrated checklist of all forty-one works by Remington in the Hogg Brothers Collection.

Frederic Remington will be of great appeal to those who have long loved and admired this unique American artist. And, with its new technical data and information, the book will also be a valuable addition to libraries of both students and scholars.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal