Books by Sarah Lees

Nineteenth-Century European Paintings at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute

by Sarah Lees

The core of the Clark's collection was assembled by Robert Sterling Clark (1877–1956), who once declared, "I like all kinds of art if it is good of its kind." This monumental, two-volume publication is the first fully documented catalogue of the Institute's collection of European paintings. The quality of this collection reflects the founder's philosophy in its inclusion of masterpieces as diverse as William-Adolphe Bouguereau's Nymphs and Satyr (1873) and Pierre-Auguste Renoir's A Box at the Theater (1880); works by academic painters such as Jean-Léon Gérôme; Barbizon painters such as Camille Corot and Jean-François Millet; and the Impressionists Camille Pissarro and Edgar Degas. More recent acquisitions include Théodore Rousseau's Farm in the Landes (1844–67) and Claude Monet's Rouen Cathedral (1894), and works by John Constable and J. M. W. Turner.
Published on the 100th anniversary of Sterling Clark's first purchase of a European painting, these handsome volumes document each of the 374 paintings in the collection, with essays by prominent scholars, detailed bibliographic and art historical apparatus, technical notes, and over 450 color illustrations.

Distributed for the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute

Renoir Drawings

by Colin B. Bailey, Sarah Lees, Anne Distel, Paul Perrin

Drawings, pastels, prints and watercolors: Renoir's works on paper provide crucial insight into his instantly recognizable Impressionist paintings

The paintings of Pierre-Auguste Renoir have become icons of Impressionism. Although his works on paper are less widely known, drawing remained central to his artistic practice even as his interests and ambitions changed over the course of a long career. This book explores the ways in which Renoir used paper to test ideas, plan compositions and interpret both landscape and the human figure.
Renoir Drawings features more than 110 drawings, pastels, watercolors, prints and a small selection of paintings, enabling readers to engage with Renoir's creative process while offering insights into his artistic methods over five decades.
Thematic sections cover the full span of the artist's career, ranging from academic studies he made as a student, to on-the-spot impressions of contemporary urban and rural life, to finished, formal portraits, to intimate sketches of friends and family completed late in life. In-depth case studies of favored themes and preparatory work for landmark canvases further illuminate Renoir's drawing practice.
Together with Claude Monet, Edgar Degas and Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) was a founder of the style that became known as Impressionism, and one of its most prolific exponents. He was described by Herbert Read as "the final representative of a tradition which runs directly from Rubens to Watteau."

This book was published in conjunction with RMN-Grand Palais; Musée d'Orsay; Morgan Library & Museum.