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GCA Publishes New Book

Georgia Council for  the Arts has published Georgia Masterpieces: Selected Works from Georgia Museums, a new limited-edition retrospective look at works of some of the state’s renowned visual artists.  The publication is the culmination of a multi-year project between the agency, the National Endowment for the Arts, and many of the state’s well-known museums. The agency published the book to celebrate Georgia’s culturally significant and renowned visual artists, past and present. It is the first publication of its kind for the state, and it provides a means of recognizing visual artists from Colonial times through the 21st Century.  Twenty-seven artists and fourteen museums are featured, including pieces from Georgia’s State Art Collection. 

Georgia Masterpieces includes more than one-hundred pages of richly-detailed, stunning full-color photographs of the selected artworks by Georgia’s artists, which are in the permanent collections of the partnering museums.  These include woodturned vessels by Edward Moulthrop, folk art by Howard Finster, and artworks in various  media by Benny Andrews, Lamar Dodd, Bailey Radcliffe and others. In addition to their Georgia heritage, each of these artists share a common passion for the creation of visual art that has become a significant part of Georgia’s cultural legacy.

In addition to celebrating visual artists, the book also recognizes the state’s fine museums that own many of those artists’ works. Partnering with Georgia Council for the Arts, representatives of the museums recommended pieces by Georgia artists from their permanent collections. A panel of jurors then adjudicated the nominations and selected twenty-seven artists for inclusion. Although these partner museums promote the work of Georgia’s artists, each operates from a unique perspective. They are each highly respected in their areas of expertise and include: fine art and folk museums; history museums; museums dedicated to African-American artists; museums focused on contemporary, Southern and world art; a teaching museum attached to an institution of higher learning; and a museum dedicated to the works of one artist.