Lists - Liza Kirwin

Lists: To-dos, Illustrated Inventories, Collected Thoughts, and Other Artist's Enumerations from the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art by Liza Kirwin, author of More Than Words, celebrates a humble form of documentation that is familiar to everyonethe list. The Smithsonians Archives of American Art counts thousands of lists in its collections, including to-do lists, membership lists, lists of paintings sold, lists of books to read, lists of appointments made and met, lists of names at various events, lists of supplies to get and places to see, lists of people who are in, lists of works in private collections, etc.the most famous of which is Picassos list of European artists for the 1913 Armory Show, which is included in the book. Many are historically important, throwing a flood of light on a moment, movement, or event; others are private, providing an intimate view of an artists personal life. The book includes almost 80 artists lists that span three centuriesthe earliest from the early 19th centuryand is accompanied by the original list, supplementary images, and a short description of the list, which often provided historical and cultural information and give insight into the list makers personal habits and individual biographies. This book urges readers to consider a common lists as fascinating firsthand accounts of our cultural history.