Deborah Goodman Davis has introduced modern and contemporary art to audiences as an art historian, art advisor and curator. She was involved in significant gallery and museum exhibitions, including Paul Gauguin: A Retrospective at the National Gallery of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. She has written on the history of art, including an essay in Felix Vallotton: A Retrospective (Yale University Press).
Speeding Down the Spiral is her first children’s book.
She received her B.A. from Cornell University and her M.A. from the University of Chicago. She works in New York City, where she lives with her husband and two children.
"In this delightful debut children’s picture book, a young girl’s introduction to the Guggenheim Museum turns into a wild, unexpected adventure. Naess’ appealing, colorful illustrations beautifully complement the reproductions of the museum’s artwork, and children are sure to enjoy this book’s clever, happy ending. ..A whirling, twisting run through one of the world’s great museums that will charm young readers."
—Kirkus Reviews
"I always wondered what would happen if someone started running down the spiral ramp at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Now I know. When a young girl lets go of her brother’s stroller at the top of the museum, readers are treated to both an energetic attempt to catch him and a lesson in great art. This book is a great stand-alone story, but is made extra special if you can take it with you to the museum itself. Summer field trip, anyone?"
—Huffington Post / Devon Corneal
Speeding down the Spiral by
This imaginative tale leads readers on a madcap adventure through the Solomon Guggenheim Museum in New York. Masterpieces of modern and contemporary art in brilliant reproduction do more than decorate the pages - they inspire the action of the story and encourage an imaginative approach to viewing art. Colorful illustrations by Sophy Naess bring to life Frank Lloyd Wright's famous spiral and create a beautiful backdrop for art historian Deborah Goodman Davis' story.
