Smart Museum of Art University of Chicago

Feast: Radical Hospitality in Contemporary Art

The companion to the Smart Museum of Art's exhibition of the same name, this book is a stimulating introduction to and exploration of the intersections between food and art, from the art of the meal—both in its preparation and in its presentation—to the performative aspects of eating and the social... more »

Price: $24.95

Vision and Communism

In the last thirty years of the Soviet Communist project, Viktor Koretsky’s art struggled to solve an enduring riddle: how to ensure⎯or restore⎯Communism’s moral health through the production of a distinctively Communist vision. In this sense Koretsky’s art demonstrates what an “avant-garde late Communist art” would have looked like if... more »

Price: $24.95

The Tragic Muse: Art and Emotion, 1700-1900

Art is often appreciated for its ability to delight our eyes and refresh our minds. But it can also serve as a powerful vehicle for exploring darker emotions, such as fear, sadness, and grief. And while these themes have an artistic history dating back to the ancients, the ways in... more »

Price: $30

Echoes of the Past: The Buddhist Cave Temples of Xiangtangshan

Carved into the mountains of northern China, the Buddhist cave temples of Xiangtangshan were the crowning cultural achievement of the sixth-century Northern Qi dynasty. Once home to a magnificent array of limestone sculptures, the caves were heavily damaged during the first half of the twentieth century, and much of the... more »

Price: $45

Heartland

While this publication stems from the Heartland exhibitions at the Van Abbemuseum and the Smart Museum of Art, this book is much more than an art catalogue. Contributors—including novelist Dave Eggers, scholar Hasan Kwame Jeffries, and journalist Rebecca Solnit—explore the region through topics ranging from art to music to urban... more »

Price: $30