Description
If you think you already know what there is to know about Harvey Ellis, think again! This very thorough treatment of Harvey Ellis, the artist, architect and designer, the product of many years of research, was first published in 2004 but received little publicity at the time and has been virtually unobtainable until very recently. The author, an emeritus professor at the University of St. Thomas and one of Minnesota’s most eminent architectural historians, began this work as a master’s thesis in 1953. The large-format, hardcover book is a highly readable, comprehensive biography of one of the most talented and brilliant yet enigmatic characters of the American Arts and Crafts movement. A chapter on Ellis’s career as a painter and teacher includes color renditions of several of his hitherto little-known paintings. The author also devotes two chapters to Ellis’s work for Gustav Stickley, including one chapter that questions the orthodox view that Harvey Ellis’s principal legacy is his role as a furniture designer for Stickley. This book is must reading for all serious students of the American Arts and Crafts movement.
