Swing Time: Reginald Marsh and Thirties New York

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Swing Time accompanies an exhibition at the New-York Historical Society, June - September 2013. Introduces new audiences to Reginald Marsh's art while also providing a fresh perspective for those familiar with his work. The book showcases 1930s social-realist painting and documentary photography Include essays by leading scholars of American history, English literature, theater, American studies, photography. Swing Time: Reginald Marsh and Thirties New York is the first major assessment of the work of 'American Scene' artist Reginald Marsh in over 30 years. Focusing on 60 paintings, drawings, prints, photographs and sketches, drawn from public and private collections across the U.S., it puts Marsh's exuberant depictions of urban daily life within the context of 1930s America and the work of fellow artists such as Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Walt Kuhn, Guy Pene du Bois, Walker Evans and Arthur Rothstein. This striking volume looks at Marsh's fascination with New York street life around his 14th Street studio; the burlesque shows of Lower East Side and the Bowery, advertising hoardings and store displays, and the funfairs of Coney Island. He recorded these in numerous pencil sketches and photographs which formed the basis of his paintings and prints. Together, they tell a complex and contrasting visual story of New York City in this tumultuous time of social tension and economic uncertainty.