Breaking the Mold insightfully examines the formation and scope of the Noah L. and Muriel S. Butkin collection at the Snite Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame. The Butkins were at the forefront of the art historical reevaluation of realist, naturalist, and academic paintings in the 1970s, championing 19th-century French paintings and drawings by artists as diverse as François Bonvin, Théodule Ribot, Antoine Vollon, Léon Lhermitte, Gustave Colin and Georges Vibert. With essays examining how the collection was created and detailed entries on each work, Breaking the Mold presents a timely study of collectors and artists whose contributions deserve much broader attention.