Review by Choice Review
The National Gallery of Art (Washington, DC), founded by Andrew Mellon, opened its doors in 1941 and began with Mellon's collection of 121 old master paintings. Through museum acquisitions and donors' contributions, many masterpieces have been added since then. This book showcases 400 master paintings from the collection with full-color, full-page reproductions. Paintings are presented chronologically and accompanied by brief, clear, and insightful commentary by Hand, curator of Northern Renaissance paintings at the National Gallery. A large coffee-table book, it is a treasure and a way to appreciate the National Gallery after a visit or even without a visit. Ninety of the paintings included were acquired since 1984. The book updates and complements John Walker's National Gallery of Art, Washington (1975 and 1984, rev. ed., CH, Feb'77; CH, Mar'85), which highlight paintings, sculpture, and architecture from the collection. Paintings chosen for inclusion in these two books are often different, and the new commentary on artists and their works presents different perspectives. Walker included a complete history of the museum; Hand does not. Neither includes a bibliography. Both Walker's and Hand's are classic books for all collections. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. All levels. N. M. Lambert University of South Carolina at Spartanburg
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., which opened in 1941, was founded by Andrew Mellon, whose collection of 121 old-master paintings provided the foundation for what has rapidly become a world-class museum with extensive holdings representing seven centuries of European and American art. To present the high points of the collection, Hand has focused exclusively on paintings, selecting nearly 400 masterworks to create not only a sampling of the gallery's collection but also a pleasurable and illuminating history of Western painting. Hand proceeds chronologically, offering commentary on each painting, beginning with a thirteenth-century Byzantine icon and moving on to Ginevra de' Benci, the only painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the Western Hemisphere, followed by paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Goya, Winslow Homer, Mary Cassatt, Cezanne, and Barnett Newman. With its richly hued and finely detailed full-page reproductions and engaging text, this superb survey of the nation's art treasures makes the National Gallery accessible to everyone. --Donna Seaman Copyright 2004 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
In our nation's capital, not very far from the politicians and the pollsters, the legislators and the lobbyists, stands an oasis of beauty, the National Gallery of Art. Created in 1941 as a gift from Andrew Mellon, the museum houses one of the finest collections of Western art, spanning seven centuries.) This book, featuring a fine sample of the Gallery's painting collection in 425 full-color illustrations, should serve as a model for other museum catalogs and for the many similar publications that appear every year. Taking a cue from John Walker's stellar National Gallery of Art, Washington (1984), the elegant volume provides superb reproductions along with scholarly essays discussing the high points in terms of current tastes and historical collecting. The wonderfully sumptuous robes of the Angel Gabriel in Jan Van Eyck's "Annunciation," the intensity of Titian's "Doge Andrea Gritti," the serenity of Cuyp's "Maas at Dordrecht," and the innocence of Fragonard's "Young Girl Reading" offer just a brief glimpse into the collection. Hand (curator, Northern Renaissance paintings), who is responsible for the essays accompanying the paintings, has chosen wisely and, along with his fellow curators, is to be praised for this major contribution to the literature. Highly recommended.-Paula Frosch, Metropolitan Museum of Art Lib., New York (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
