Paul Manship

Paul Manship, as his son limns him here, was a sculptor obsessed with the passage of time, who believed that sculpture should embody a society's highest ideals. In this affectionate, lavishly illustrated biography, we see him as a high-school dropout in Minnesota, a young emerging artist at the American Academy in Rome, a newly married social climber in New York, an ardent opponent of fascism in the 1930s. There is much information on his commissions, his working methods and what he aimed to achieve in each piece. Although some critics dismiss Manship'sManfield? did he change his name?/no, we dummies did.gs Art Deco as kitsch recyclings of classical themes, his reputation has risen steadily since the early '80s. Spotlighted here are Prometheus for New York's Rockefeller Center, the Celestial Sphere in Philadelphia, potently erotic nymphs and satyrs, bronzes, heroic reliefs, sundials, equestrian statues, poetic sculptures for the 1939 New York World's Fair, and much else. (Nov.)