Living with Art

This book offers a seductive but ultimately narrow view of the countless ways owners of art can make their collections feel, literally, at home. Collector and gallery owner Solomon and critic Anderson profile 22 significant private collections said to exemplify ``independent and often stubborn vision,'' yet perfunctory writing and elementary ideas (in hanging pictures, ``the best guideline is an understanding of the artist's or art work's aesthetic intention'') make these 22 collections seem like only three or four. A few collections are indeed beautifully integrated with their surroundings. More often, though, art objects look crowded and ill-at-ease in apartments that are showrooms, not living quarters. Also disturbing is the coauthors' assumptionborne out in the opulent interiors they celebratethat wealth is the sine qua non of art appreciation. An index provides brief information on how to obtain, conserve and insure works of art. (Dec.)