Author Description

Published to accompany the exhibition held at the Wellcome Collection in London, the UK, in 2009, this slightly oversized volume (9x10.5") is not a catalogue, but instead offers 10 essays on aspects of mental illness and the visual arts in Vienna at the turn of the last century. The architecture of sanitoriums, painting and sculpture of mentally ill figures by such artists as Gustav Klumt and Karl Henning, and the relationship between mental illness and modernism are central topics. Each essay is well illustrated with b&w and color plates of superb quality, including many period photographs. Distributed in the U.S. by Ashgate. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)