World Arts, Local Lives

Book excerpt: This lavishly illustrated volume, demonstrating the scope and depth of the vast and remarkable global collections of the Fowler Museum at ucla, has been produced as part of the ongoing celebration of the institution's fiftieth-anniversary year. It recalls many of the highlights of the Museum's formation, focusing not only on collections development but also on a long history of programmatic innovation. The book begins with an essay by the Museum's director, Marla C. Berns, which sketches the Fowler's history, and this is followed by a section reproducing in color and large format 250 stunning works from the collection. Berns's lengthy history of involvement with the Fowler - which began when she worked for the Museum as a graduate intern while pursuing her doctorate at UCLA - and the innovative strategies she has introduced, have uniquely situated her to author this book.