Leading the West: One Hundred Contemporary Painters and Sculptors (SOLD)

This resplendent selection of nonurban Western artists born between 1909 and 1970 (two thirds before 1945) surmounts dismissive stereotyping and popularization with its informed and substantial text. Hagerty, a scholar formerly at the University of California at Davis and now an independent curator, has deftly organized this extravaganza of landscapes, animals, romance, cowboys, and "other Wests." Representational painters chosen for their technical excellence, original Western vision, and what Hagerty subjectively terms "the touch" dominate, with men far outnumbering women and a scant 11 percent of Native American or Hispanic origin. Artists typically receive one or two pages in which to share observations about their work. The book, endorsed by Southwest Art magazine and prefaced by its editor, Susan Hallsten McGarry, concludes with useful artist biographies and a bibliography.