The evolution of bronze Western sculptures in the formative years of the medium is the subject of The American West in Bronze, 1850-1925 (Metropolitan Museum of Art, $50), a collection of thematic essays accompanying an exhibition organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Featuring works from masters such as Frederic Remington and Charles Russell alongside lesser known artists such as Charles Cristadoro and John Quincy Adams Ward (a name familiar to historical firearms aficionados), the book focuses specifically on the way sculptors codified images of American Indians, cowboys, settlers and Western wildlife. The bronzes, from collections across the country, are featured alongside historical Western images to show how they mirrored and influenced one another. Thoroughly researched with clearly articulated arguments, the book should appeal to a broad audience.
—Jeffrey Richardson, author of Colt: The Revolver of the American West