Overview

A major exploration of one of the most important early artistic cultures of the ancient Americas Considered the “mother culture” of Mesoamerica, the Olmec developed an iconic and sophisticated artistic style as early as the second millennium B.C. This pre-Columbian civilization, which flourished in the Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco between 1400 and 400 B.C., is best known for the creation of colossal stone portrait heads of its rulers.  Some weighing up to 24 tons, the monumental heads are among ancient America’s most striking and beautiful masterpieces. In the fifteen years since the last major study of the Olmec, archaeologists have made significant finds at key sites in Mexico. This sweeping project brings together the most recent scholarship, along with a diverse selection of more than 100 monuments, sculptures, adornments, masks, and vessels, many of which have never traveled beyond Mexico’s borders, that paint a rich portrait of life in the most important Olmec centers, including San Lorenzo, La Venta, and Tres Zapotes. Particular attention is paid to the emergence of the culture, distinctive variations in the art of different city sites, and the chronology and reach of the society during its apex. Centering on the concept of discovery, this wide-ranging volume presents a fresh look at Olmec civilization, recapturing the excitement that greeted the unearthing of the first colossal stone head in 1862.

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9780300166767

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Reviews

Beautifully illustrated ... the book is an invaluable resource for scholars, researchers, students, and interested general readers. -A. Headrick, Choice -- A. Headrick Choice Selected as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2011 in the Art and Architecteure category, as given by Choice Magazine -- Choice Outstanding Academic Title Choice

Beautifully illustrated . . . the book is an invaluable resource for scholars, researchers, students, and interested general readers. --A./i>--A. Headrick Choice

Selected as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2011 in the Art and Architecteure category, as given by Choice Magazine--Choice Outstanding Academic Title Choice (03/12/2012)

Author Information

Kathleen Berrin is curator in charge of Africa and the Americas at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Virginia M. Fields is senior curator of art of the ancient Americas at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

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