Kirkus Reviews says,“OUR VERDICT: GET IT!
Review from the Chicago Art Deco Society Magazine, Spring 2018
Review of 2nd Edition of Prairie Deco from the University of Nebraska Alumni magazine, 2009.
What People Are Saying on Amazon.com
“Gregory Paul Harm’s book Lee Lawrie’s Prairie Deco is a long overdue work
on one of the greatest works by the American architectural sculptor Lee Lawrie. Mr. Harm’s thorough research and well written narrative provide new insights into the creation of the iconic details that went into design of the Nebraska State Capitol. This American architectural masterpiece comes to life with his beautiful archival and current photos.” (from the 3rd Edition.)
— Christine Roussel, Director, Roussel Studios and Archivist, Rockefeller Center Archives
“Harm’s book [is] about Lawrie and his work that is on view here 365 Days a year.
…[The] book is lavishly illustrated with photographs of Lawrie’s Capitol pieces along with some historical/biographical pictures of the artist and others who worked on the building… [The] photographs and the accompanying text serve another purpose, too, providing a detailed explanation of the origins and meanings of the panels and sculptures inside and, in particular, outside the building.”
— L. Kent Wolgamott, Lincoln Journal, April 27, 2009
“Harm in this book has uncovered the human and spiritual context of the sculpture,
and displayed in photos these works in situ and in their early stages as sketches and maquettes. Those who already share his love of the building and sculpture will rejoice in the many excellent photos, not only of familiar panels but also the small details to e found on walls, windows and ceilings in the Capitol. These photos will win new fans and send readers back to the Capitol to note these details.”
— Robert Haller, Great Plains Quarterly, Winter 2011
“Featuring both magnificent color photographs as well as black and white historical photos,
the book itself is a work of art that took Gregory Harm nearly a decade to research, writhe, design, edit and illustrate.”
— Nebraska Magazine, UN-L Alumni Association, Summer 2009
“A must-read examination of often-overlooked beauty.”
Sometimes you can walk past beauty every day and never notice it.
If you’re lucky, someone with a sharper eye and more knowledge points it out to you, and you wonder how you ever missed it.
That is the case for me after a quick initial read of “Lee Lawrie’s Prairie Deco” by Gregory P. Harm, M.A.
The work of Lawrie, an architectural sculptor who did much of his work in the first half of the 20th century, appears throughout the Nebraska State Capitol. Lawmakers, lobbyists, journalists and others walk past it every day, and few take the time to notice or appreciate it.
But in this book, Nebraskans and others who have come into contact with Lawrie’s work – it’s at the U.S. Capitol, the Los Angeles Public Library, the Louisiana State Capitol and Rockefeller Center, among other places – have a chance to fully appreciate it. Along the way, they will learn a lot about the stories behind the Capitol, Lawrie’s role in its construction and a fascinating, rarely told chapter of Nebraska history.
The author’s passion for his subject is apparent on every page. And the book doesn’t just tell the story, it shows it. It’s jam-packed with colorful examples of Lawrie’s art, attractively packaged along with the story and a wealth of facts, trivia and other items of interest. It’s the kind of book you can either read cover to cover or open at any page and find something interesting.
A book about a long-dead sculptor and a Plains state capitol might seem like a niche work. But this book, like Lawrie’s art, will considerably broaden one’s perspective.
Frank Hassler, 2020