3 Review(s)

With a presentationthat divides the book into two equal parts, ATale of Two Balconies investigates the elements that make eachof these artworks-both in the collection of the National Museum of Asian Art,Smithsonian Institution-unique. Exploring the depicted locations of each (inEdo Japan and Victorian England) enables deeper insight as the authors examinethe idea of the balcony itself as a construct at once both private and public -creating a view and juxtaposing the different cultural domains both within andbeyond the balcony railing. This stunning book is double-fronted, so readers can beginreading from either side. A carefully-designed centre section encouragesreaders to engage with the themes of perspective and recollection through theirown art-making activities - collage, drawing and colouring, even building apop-out Hokusai diorama and Victorian Whistler toy theatre. Alsofeatures works from Tate, National Portrait Gallery, London, The Hunterian, University of Glasgow, Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum, Bournemouth, National Galleries of Scotland, Victoria and Albert Museum, London.