Maxfield Parrish: The Masterworks

The calendar art of Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966) and his covers for Collier's , Ladies' Home Journal and other magazines in the early decades of the century look increasingly campy now. Featuring 145 color plates and 30 photographs, this snazzy showcase of Parrish's art will please fans and collectors. Gilbert, founder and director of the Maxfield Parrish Museum in Plainfield, N.H., admires the ambitious scope of Parrish's murals Florentine Fete and The Pied Piper, the dazzling tonalities of his book illustrations, the magical flavor of his children's pictures, and the dignity and beauty of his paintings of the American Southwest. Also reproduced are prints, landscapes, ads and paintings of New England farms and houses. Gilbert devotes a chapter to Parrish's technique, reprints several of his witty letters and discusses his extramarital affair with live-in companion and model Susan Lewin. (Oct.)