AMERICAN COLLECTORS OF ASIAN ART, MARG HARDCOVER, 1986

From about the last quarter of the 19th century scores of Americans have assembled great collections of Asian art. Many of these collections are now in major US museums and are known all over the world. Of the many visitors to the museums, few are aware of their scope or the fascinating histories behind the collections. This book is the first attempt to provide the non-specialist reader with some idea of the collections as well as the personalities of the collectors. Apart from a lively and substantial introduction about the history of collecting Asian art in America, the volume contains essays about ten major collections of the past and present. The art assembled ranges from Turkey to Japan, thus covering almost every major culture of Asia. The informative and lucid essays provide the reader with some idea of the passions, single-mindedness, and tastes of individuals who, for different reasons and motivations, have devoted their lives and wealth to acquiring both sensual pleasure and spiritual exaltation through collecting art.

Pratapaditya Pal has doctorates from Calcutta and Cambridge Universities. From 1967 through 1969, he was Keeper of Indian and Islamic Art at the Boston Museum. Since 1970, he has been Senior Curator of Indian and Southeast Asian Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.