Storied strings: the guitar in American art

Abstract

"Storied Strings: The Guitar in American Art, organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, is the first exhibition to explore the instrument's symbolism in American art from the early nineteenth century to the present day. Featuring approximately 130 works of art and 35 musical instruments, the exhibition demonstrates that guitars figure prominently in the visual stories Americans tell themselves about themselves-their histories, identities, and aspirations. The accompanying fully-illustrated catalogue positions the guitar within a nexus of art, music, literature, and cultural histories."-- Publisher's website.

Contents

Introducing the guitar in American art -- An American guitar primer / Jayson Kerr Dobney -- Hispanicization -- The guitar in black art and culture -- Personification -- Guitar-wielding women -- Aestheticizing the motif -- Cold hard cash: guitars and value -- What makes a guitar political? -- Wood, strings, and stories / Philip J. Deloria