With MoMA Goes to Paris in 1938, Caroline M. Riley brings the full force of art historical close looking to bear on the museum's landmark, ocean-crossing show. In stirring, kaleidoscopic accounts, her book draws needed attention to Three Centuries of American Art as a key case study in soft diplomacy, in the birth of the 'American art' canon, and in how to piece together--with careful precision--how museum work works.--Jennifer Jane Marshall, author of Machine Art, 1934 Riley's deep, multilayered archival work exposes aspects of the exhibitionary project that rarely make it into the art-historical narrative--and yet are essential in the production of public art history. Through her examination of publicity, loans, and installation itineraries, she demonstrates how MoMA attempted to use art as a tool of diplomacy on the eve of World War II.--Kristina Wilson, author of The Modern Eye: Stieglitz, MoMA, and the Art of the Exhibition, 1925-1934
