American art museums flourished in the late twentieth century; and the impresario leading much of this growth was J. Carter Brown; director of the National Gallery of Art in Washington; DC; from 1969 to 1992. Along with S. Dillon Ripley; who served as Smithsonian secretary for much of this time; Brown reinvented the museum experience in ways that had important consequences for the cultural life of Washington and its visitors as well as for American museums in general. In Capital Culture; distinguished historian Neil Harris provides a wide-ranging look at Brownrsquo;s achievement and the growth of museum culture during this crucial period.
#960322 in eBooks 2013-07-01 2013-07-01File Name: B00EXC1EHY
Review
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Black Comedy and Theater of the AbsurdBy John F. RooneyIn June of 2006 I saw the Broadway production of "The Lieutenant of Inishmore." The eight character play has more blood and gore overwhelming the stage than any play I have ever seen. After the intermission the stage was littered with dismembered body parts and blood splashed over everything.In this black comedy the words black (more violent) and comedy (more farcical) take on new meanings. The dialogue in the play; funny and inane; is right out of the theater of the absurd or theater of the ridiculous. The characters in this play are dimwits; off-the-wall nutcases. Donny; for example admits to trampling on his Mam. His son Padriac; the self-anointed lieutenant; a certifiable homicidal psychopath who cares more for his cat Wee Thomas than he does any human being; reminds his father "Theres no statute of limitations on Mam trampling." The play is full of surprises; shocks to the system; ironic twists; and over the edge humor. The ending is a master stroke. Padriac has to form a terrorist splinter group because he is too violent for the IRA. He is betrayed by his former terrorist brethren who act like the Three Stooges. One girl; Mairead; entertains herself by shooting out the eyes of cows. In a black comedy piece in Scene Two Padriac is torturing a man he has trussed up and has hanging upside down by his feet. Listen to him and other characters as they are about to be tortured or killed and you hear stubbornness; and a stupid bent to infuriate and aggravate their executioner/torturer. The two characters who open the play; Donny and Davey; are two clowns performing a vaudeville act. They are incredibly dumb; and their dialogue is full of non sequiturs.McDonagh has said that making audiences uncomfortable; getting them wriggling in their seats is his goal; and he achieves it here. Squirming in their seats would be more like it. The audience is saying; "Oh; no he wouldnt push the envelope that far; gross out that much; and thats exactly what he does.See my reviews of "The Cripple of Inishmaan;" "The Beauty Queen of Leenane;" and "In Bruges" for my comments on McDonaghs blood and gore; his violence; black humor; irony; and links to the theater of the absurd.13 of 13 people found the following review helpful. More existentialist than TarantinoBy Stephen F. DavidsWith the Tony nomination for Best Play this year; there might be some renewed interest in buying this book (the most recent review on this site was in 2003). This is laugh-out-loud funny stuff; and well worth reading. While "existentialist" may be a bit pretentious; this play deals with absurdity and futility in an atmosphere of constant violence and death. That McDonagh can make this material so funny is a tribute to his gift. This play I believe is a companion piece to McDonaghs Oscar-winning short film Six Shooter (available for download on iTunes); which deals with some of the same subjects; and also reserves its only tenderness for pets. I can see why people make the Tarantino comparison; but I see Tarantino as more of a stylist who sets out intricate time sequences and is less concerned about traditional narrative structures. McDonagh; by comparison; is very much into formal plot devices and structure.Definitely not for those who dont enjoy black humor. For those who enjoyed The Pillowman (on Broadway last year); this one is an earlier play and doesnt have nearly the creativity and ambition of Pillowman. But it is still very well worthwhile; and a lot of fun.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. One of McDonaghs more action packed playsBy Daggie OhMcDonaghs plays are always amazing - but if you are looking for one that is more kinetic then the rest; this is it.Ive read all of McDonaghs plays and this one lives up to the rest. Its hard to give anything of his anything less than a 5 out of 5. Instead I am inclined only to give some of them a 6 or seven out of 5. Personally I think that McDonagh has raised the bar for all modern play-writes.