The articles of Bernard V. Bothmer are the most comprehensive collection of writings on Egyptian art history. They are introduced by T.D.H. James, former Keeper, Egyptian Collection, The British Museum, and Rita Freed, Curator of Ancient Egyptian, Nubian and Near Eastern Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and address several themes, such as the reappraisal of old theories to gain new insights, the contextual interpretation of Egyptian art to determine nuance and meaning, and stylistic analysis. Topics covered range in date from the origins of ancient Egypt to its decline in the Roman period. The audience for the work includes professional scholars, students and museum curators, particularly in Europe, where Bothmer has a wide following. Bothmer in his career sought out both scholarly and lay audiences, and his writings have the same dual purpose.
This book collects the most significant writings by the late Dr. Bernard V. Bothmer, preeminent historian of Egyptian art. It makes accessible in one volume his groundbreaking methodology and important finds, particularly with regard to Egyptian sculpture. Thirty one articles with more than 450 photographs span Dr. Bothmer's long curatorial and teaching careers at the Boston Museum of Fine Art, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and the Institute of Fine Art at New York
University.
For future generations, people like myself, who will not have the privilege of studying or working with Bothmer, this book contains a wealth of information of the working method and the eye of a great Egyptian historian. It provides an example to emulate with regard to its style of writing and elegance in publication.