Join us for a book signing and celebration for Peter Selz and the release of his new biography, "Peter Selz: Sketches of a Life in Art" by Paul Karlstrom, published by UC Press.

Light refreshments as well as a whisky tasting will be provided by Bushmill Whisky will be available.

"A fascinating account of an individual who has made many contributions to art history and who has advocated on behalf of critical, often controversial or unrecognized artists here and abroad."

-Washington Ind Rev of Bksa

Peter Selz: Sketches of a Life in Art
This absorbing biography (UC Press, 2012) traces the journey of a German Jewish immigrant from Hitler's Munich to the United States, and on to a career as a pioneering historian and curator of modern art at New York's MoMA and the University Art Museum at Berkeley. The book also links Selz's life story with his personal commitment to political engagement, and his conviction that significant art is always an expression of deep human experience.
Selz's decades-long involvement with California art continues with the announcement that he will be generously donating his extensive personal library to SFAI.

"The extraordinary career of one of the most energetic and, above all, creative figures in twentieth century art history is deftly described in this essential book."

-Dore Ashton, author of A Fable of Modern Art

Paul J. Karlstrom, former West Coast Regional Director of the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art, is the editor of On the Edge of America: California Modernist Art, 1900-1950 (UC Press) and a co-editor of Asian American Art: A History, 1860-1970. He is coauthor of Turning the Tide: Early Los Angeles Modernists, 1920-1956 and author of Raimonds Staprans: Art of Tranquility and Turbulence.

"With Selz at the helm, the Berkeley Art Museum redefined many aspects of modern art and brought overdue attention to California artists."

-Berkeleyside