Augustin Pajou: Royal Sculptor, 1730-1809 by James David Draper, Guilhem Scherf

After about two centuries, English-speaking lovers of French Neoclassicism finally can revel in the sculpture of Augustin Pajou. Curators Draper (Metropolitan Museum of Art) and Scherf (Musee du Louvre) have created this comprehensive exhibition catalog to accompany a showing of more than 120 works at both museums. Pajou's life spanned from the time of kings through the French Revolution, and this exhibition catalog gives us insight into the full range of his work. Pajou was skilled as a sculptor and as a draftsman, and he sought balance between the classic Greco-Roman ideal and the psychological realism of his subjects. Perhaps this is why he was in the employ of royalty as well as the intelligentsia. During his lifetime, much attention was focused deservedly on the sculpted portraits. But Pajou's mythic subjects, such as "Psyche Abandoned" or "Pluto Keeping Cerberus in Chains," tell the story of the day as well.