Search results for ""National Gallery Company Ltd""
National Gallery Company Ltd One Hundred Great Paintings
The National Gallery in London houses one of the richest collections of Western European paintings in the world, ranging from the 13th to the 20th century. In this beautiful book, one hundred of the greatest works from the collection, each by a different artist, are presented in chronological order, and accompanied by a lively, informative text and full-page color reproductions. From the earliest—a remnant of an Italian altarpiece dating from around 1265—to the most recent—Paul Cézanne’s great Bathers, of about 1894–1905—each painting has been carefully chosen for the unique significance it holds; whether representing a particular artist, place or time, or simply for its beauty and the pleasure it provides to the viewer. The painters featured here include some of the most famous names in European art—Duccio, Giotto, Dürer, Holbein, van Eyck, Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Rubens, Rembrandt, El Greco, Velázquez, Zurbarán, Goya, Caravaggio, Claude, Poussin, Hogarth, Gainsborough, Reynolds, Constable, Turner, Courbet, Manet, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Rousseau, and Van Gogh—and some of the most iconic paintings in the world—The Wilton Diptych, The Arnolfini Portrait, The Ambassadors, and Sunflowers. These selected highlights introduce some of the most inspiring paintings ever made. The reader can dip in to explore individual paintings, or read from cover to cover for a full survey.Published by the National Gallery Company/Distributed by Yale University Press
£24.99
National Gallery Company Ltd Art for the Nation: The Eastlakes and the Victorian Art World
As prominent members of the Victorian cultural and artistic world, Sir Charles and Lady Elizabeth Eastlake, along with their nephew Charles Locke Eastlake, enjoyed the friendship and support of influential figures including Prince Albert, Sir Thomas Lawrence, J. M. W. Turner, and Sir Robert Peel. This fascinating original biography brings the unique personality of each of the Eastlakes into sharp focus while also exploring their important contributions during the early days of the National Gallery. Charles Eastlake, an artist and connoisseur, was chosen to be not only the President of the Royal Academy from 1850, but also the National Gallery's first Director in 1855. With his capable wife, a literary critic and art historian in her own right, he traveled throughout Europe acquiring significant paintings for the Gallery and implementing important changes to their display and description. Nephew Charles, an architect and popularizer of the Arts and Crafts style, was Keeper at the National Gallery from 1878 to 1898. Art for the Nation tells the remarkable story of the Eastlake family's devotion to art and to the National Gallery during its crucial formative years.Published by National Gallery Company / Distributed by Yale University PressExhibition Schedule:National Gallery, London(07/27/11-10/30/11)
£30.00
National Gallery Company Ltd National Gallery Technical Bulletin: Volume 41
The latest in this annual bulletin based on research carried out at the National Gallery, London, draws on the combined expertise of scientists, conservators, and curators, bringing together a wealth of information about artists’ materials, practices, and techniques. The cleaning and restoration of The Adoration of the Kings by Botticelli and Filippino Lippi reveals its unusually complex physical and attributional history. The relining of Van Dyck’s equestrian portrait of Charles I is described, an operation that posed certain challenges due to its large size; at the same time the records of conservation of this painting offer a potted history of lining at the National Gallery. The recent cleaning of Jan van Eyck’s Portrait of a Man (“Léal Souvenir”) has shown that it retains an original surface coating that may explain its excellent condition. And finally, Leonardo’s Virgin of the Rocks offers new discoveries from macro XRF scanning and hyperspectral imaging, which extend our knowledge of the evolution of the painting during its production.Published by National Gallery Company/Distributed by Yale University Press
£40.00
National Gallery Company Ltd Frans Hals
An illuminating study of the singularly gifted Dutch artist Frans Hals, a true revolutionary in the field of portraiture and one of the most sought-after painters of his generation This beautifully illustrated book offers a fresh scholarly appraisal of Frans Hals, more than 30 years since the last large exhibition devoted to his work. Essays cover all the important aspects of Hals’s oeuvre, including his militia paintings, his spectacular family portraits and his depictions of laughter: he was one of very few artists throughout the history of Western painting who successfully managed to paint people smiling and laughing. The texts also provide an overview of the artist’s life, and examine his extraordinarily virtuoso technique, which involved painting extremely fast straight on to the canvas. The authors set out to place Hals and his work firmly in the context of his time, employing new previously unpublished archival research and technical findings. For the first time, an overview is given of all the apprentices who worked for Hals. Other themes, such as the design for portrait prints or the humour seen in the works of Frans Hals, have never before been treated separately. Published by National Gallery Global/Distributed by Yale University Press Exhibition Schedule: The National Gallery, London (September 30, 2023–January 21, 2024) The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (February 15–June 9, 2024)
£35.00
National Gallery Company Ltd Leonardo: Experience a Masterpiece
An innovative look at the creation of Leonardo’s The Virgin of the Rocks This concise but innovative book, published to accompany an immersive digital exhibition at the National Gallery, London, focuses on a single Leonardo painting, and one of the artist’s most celebrated: The Virgin of the Rocks. The quarter-century process of its creation is described, while a technical study shows how the latest scanning technology has been used by the National Gallery to explore beneath the surface of the picture, resulting in new insights into Leonardo’s approach, optical theories, and painting technique. Illustrated with details of the painting, technical images, drawings, and comparative works, this volume combines the expertise of curators, conservators, and scientists in order to introduce readers to a fresh perspective on one of history’s most extraordinary minds.Published by National Gallery Company/Distributed by Yale University PressExhibition Schedule:National Gallery, London (November 9, 2019–January 12, 2020)
£11.25
National Gallery Company Ltd George Shaw: My Back to Nature
In 2014, the contemporary painter George Shaw (b. 1966) began a two-year post as associate artist in the National Gallery, London. This book documents his experiences there, as well as the work he produced in response to the Gallery’s collection. Shaw is known for his minutely detailed and luminously atmospheric depictions of the urban landscape and woodlands of central England. Painting scenes from his native region, Shaw meditates on the central themes of relationships, ancestry, and love. His preferred medium, Humbrol enamel paint, is a deliberate means of distancing himself from the traditions of oil painting—and, it might seem, from the values embedded in the National Gallery itself. Yet as a teenager in Coventry, Shaw was fascinated by the Gallery, traveling regularly to London to draw from those artists he found inspiring. This engaging volume reproduces his first series of paintings on canvas, together with working drawings and an essay by the artist himself. Published by National Gallery Company/distributed by Yale University PressExhibition Schedule:The National Gallery, London (05/11/16-10/30/16)
£20.00
National Gallery Company Ltd Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan
Leonardo da Vinci's reputation as an inventor and scientist, and the complexity of his creativity and personality, have sometimes almost overshadowed the importance of his aims and techniques as a painter. This catalogue focuses on a crucial period in the 1480s and 1490s when, as a salaried court artist to Duke Ludovico Sforza in the city-state of Milan, freed from the pressures of making a living in the commercially minded Florentine republic, Leonardo produced some of the most celebrated—and influential—work of his career. The Last Supper, his two versions of The Virgin of the Rocks, and the beautiful portrait of Ludovico's mistress, Cecilia Gallerani (The Lady with an Ermine), were paintings that set a new standard for his Milanese contemporaries. Leonardo's style was magnified, through collaboration and imitation, to become the visual language of the regime, and by the time he returned to Florence in 1500, his status had been utterly transformed. Published by National Gallery Company/Distributed by Yale University PressExhibition Schedule:National Gallery, London(11/07/11–02/05/12)
£40.00
National Gallery Company Ltd Pesellino: A Renaissance Master Revealed
This catalogue introduces the little-known Renaissance artist Pesellino, exploring his exquisite miniatures, his narrative cassone panels, and grand altarpieces During his brief but varied career, Francesco Pesellino (c. 1422–1457) rose to notable heights, receiving prestigious commissions from the pope and becoming a favourite of Florence’s ruling Medici family. His death at the age of only 35 cut short a rising star of the early Renaissance. Praised as a painter of “cose picole” (small things), Pesellino was a remarkable draughtsman and miniaturist, excelling in fine details and the characterful depiction of animals. His works were not limited to those on a small scale, however: he was also an accomplished painter of grand altarpieces. This catalogue introduces Pesellino’s work to a wider audience and celebrates his extraordinary abilities. Beautifully illustrated essays explore his life and work, and the recent conservation of the Gallery’s painted cassone panels depicting the story of David and Goliath, where the artist’s skill as a storyteller is matched by his technical mastery. The first publication in English dedicated to Pesellino, it provides a comprehensive overview of the artist, as well as new insights into his work. Published by National Gallery Global/Distributed by Yale University Press Exhibition Schedule: The National Gallery, London (December 7, 2023–March 10, 2024)
£16.99
National Gallery Company Ltd Saint Francis of Assisi
Exploring the life, imagery and lasting appeal of Saint Francis of Assisi (1182–1226), this landmark book features a core of important historic paintings representing the saint by Giotto, Sassetta, Caravaggio, Zurbarán and El Greco. From his native Umbria, Saint Francis’s image spread rapidly to become a global phenomenon and a continuous source of artistic fascination. His commitment to the poor, powerful appeals for peace, openness to dialogue with other religions and embryonic environmentalism radically impacted the Church and society of his time, and still hold great interest today. Spanning seven centuries and ranging from the earliest, relic-like objects to contemporary art in a variety of media, including works by Antony Gormley, Giuseppe Penone and a new commission from Richard Long, Saint Francis of Assisi reflects on the lasting legacy of Saint Francis – an inherently modern figure who retains a universal appeal. Published by National Gallery Global/Distributed by Yale University Press Exhibition Schedule: The National Gallery, London, 6 May–30 July 2023
£25.00
National Gallery Company Ltd The National Gallery: Masterpieces of Painting
An exceptional introduction to European paintings from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century through one of the greatest collections in the world. This richly illustrated and beautifully designed book offers an ideal introduction to European painting from the 13th to the early 20th century. The National Gallery, London, houses one of the finest collections of Western European art in the world. Its extraordinary range includes exceptional paintings from medieval Europe through the early Renaissance and on to Post-Impressionism, including masterpieces by Leonardo, Hans Holbein, Titian, Velázquez, Rembrandt, Turner, Monet, and Van Gogh. This volume showcases more than 250 of the Gallery’s most treasured pictures, providing an opportunity to make connections across this uniquely representative collection. Paintings are accompanied by numerous details, as well as brief and illuminating texts, providing an informative and visually rich survey of hundreds of years of European painting.Published by National Gallery Company/Distributed by Yale University Press
£50.00
National Gallery Company Ltd Raphael
A definitive overview of one of the most celebrated figures of the Italian Renaissance Among the great figures of the Italian Renaissance, Raphael (1483–1520) is unarguably the artist who has been most widely and consistently admired across the centuries. He had an extraordinary and perhaps unrivaled capacity for self-reinvention—as he progressed from Umbria to Florence and Rome—and an ability to draw strength from the other great artists around him, seemingly growing in stature the more daunting the competition became. This insightful, impeccably researched, and comprehensive volume chronicles the progress of his career in all its richness and complexity. Sumptuous production values and generous illustrations go hand in hand with its rigorous and wide-ranging scholarship. The essays explore Raphael’s paintings and drawings, his frescoes in the Vatican Stanze, his designs for tapestries, sculptures and prints, and his engagement with architecture. Detailed and authoritative catalogue entries examine many of Raphael’s finest works. Published by National Gallery Company/Distributed by Yale University Press
£40.00
National Gallery Company Ltd The Italian Paintings Before 1400
The National Gallery in London houses one of the most important collections of early Italian paintings outside Italy, including works by Cimabue, Duccio, Giotto and the di Cione brothers. This completely updated catalogue of the collection is the first published since 1989, and it now includes four exceptional acquisitions from the intervening years: the 13th-century diptych now attributed to the Master of the Borgo Crucifix, The Virgin and Child by Cimabue, The Virgin and Child by the Clarisse Master, and The Coronation of the Virgin by Bernardo Daddi. For this volume, Dillian Gordon takes into account the substantial body of new research published over the past twenty years to review and in some cases reattribute the works. All but two paintings have been re-examined by the National Gallery's team of curators, conservators, and scientists. Through the use of infrared reflectography, much new information has been revealed regarding the significance of underdrawings and technique. Each work is illustrated in color, and many are accompanied by details and technical and comparative illustrations.Published by National Gallery Company/Distributed by Yale University Press
£75.00
National Gallery Company Ltd A Closer Look: Conservation of Paintings
A Closer Look is the new series title for the updated and refreshed National Gallery Pocket Guide range. The series has been enhanced with a stronger format, attractive design, new photography, and additional information. The philosophy of modern conservation is different from that of previous eras: the emphasis now is on long-term stabilization by methods that alter the structure of a painting as little as possible. Nevertheless, if paintings are obscured by discolored varnishes and old repaints, they are cleaned, and this has often led to anxiety and debate as long-admired images are transformed. A Closer Look: Conservation of Paintings discusses the material nature of paintings and the ways that they have changed, both naturally and at the hands of previous restorers. It also describes the main types of conservation treatment carried out on panel and canvas paintings and some of the complex issues involved in cleaning and restoration. Published by National Gallery Company/Distributed by Yale University Press
£11.24
National Gallery Company Ltd The Sixteenth Century Netherlandish Paintings, with French Paintings Before 1600
The National Gallery, London possesses an important collection of paintings by 16th-century Netherlandish artists, including Joachim Beuckelaer, Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Jean Gossart, and Quinten Massys. They are grouped here with a small number of French paintings, some by artists who came from the Low Countries (Corneille de Lyon, probably Jean Hey, and perhaps the Master of Saint Giles). Lorne Campbell’s catalogue is a model of scholarship; he examined all the pictures with conservators and rigorously researched their histories, subjects, and styles. New discoveries about artists’ techniques and practices have led to many reattributions, and the rescue from anonymity of over twenty paintings. The identities of several patrons are established or suggested, while an introductory essay explains how contemporaries regarded these paintings. Generously illustrated, with many details and technical photographs, and beautifully produced, this comprehensive catalogue is essential reading for scholars, while also introducing general readers to a vital part of the Gallery’s collection.Published by National Gallery Company/Distributed by Yale University Press
£95.00
National Gallery Company Ltd National Gallery Catalogues: The Eighteenth-Century French Paintings
The impressive collection of 18th-century French paintings at the National Gallery, London, includes important works by Boucher, Chardin, David, Fragonard, Watteau, and many others. This volume presents over seventy detailed and extensively illustrated entries that expand our understanding of these paintings. Comprehensive research uncovers new information on provenance and on the lives of identified portrait sitters. Humphrey Wine explains the social and political contexts of many of the paintings, and an introductory essay looks at the attitude of 18th-century Britons to the French, as well as the market for 18th-century French paintings then in London salerooms.Published by National Gallery Company/Distributed by Yale University Press
£75.00
National Gallery Company Ltd The Chemistry of Art
Produced in collaboration with the National Gallery, this resource pack outlines a range of activities for pre- and post-16 students of chemistry and art. Printed in full colour throughout, the pack comprises: * A guide to using the pack * A3-sized prints of 10 paintings from the National Gallery, London * A booklet with historical information on each painting, including details on the part science played in cleaning, conservation and restoration * A booklet of experiments for pre-16 students * A booklet for post-16 students
£22.68
National Gallery Company Ltd After Impressionism: Inventing Modern Art
Through the 1880s the very essence of representation, meaning and process in Western art were profoundly interrogated. Plausible representations of the external world were cast aside in favour of non-naturalism expressed in varying degrees, from modest distortions of reality to pure abstraction. The decades that followed, up to the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, were a complex, vibrant period of artistic questioning, searching, risk-taking and innovation. Concentrating on this period of great upheaval, this book will explore the constructive dialogue between painting and sculpture, and the influential roles played by three giants of the era, Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh, across European art as a whole. While acknowledging the centrality of Paris as a cultural capital, it will also uniquely highlight other centres of artistic ferment in Europe, from Brussels and Barcelona to Berlin and Vienna, and track the variety of routes into modernism in the early twentieth century. This fully illustrated catalogue will contain four essays, introductions to each city of ferment and biographies of the artists. Published by National Gallery Global/Distributed by Yale University Press Exhibition Schedule: The National Gallery, London 25 March–13 August 2023
£40.00
National Gallery Company Ltd Discover Liotard and The Lavergne Family Breakfast
The second book in the “Discover” series, this illuminating study explores Liotard’s little-known The Lavergne Family Breakfast (1754), widely regarded as a pastel masterpiece Jean-Etienne Liotard’s The Lavergne Family Breakfast, acquired by the National Gallery in 2019, is one of the Gallery’s most important eighteenth-century pictures and one of the artist’s largest and most ambitious pastel. Last exhibited in 1755, when Liotard brought the pastel from Lyon to London (an incredible feat in itself given the fragility of pastel), it has hardly been seen in public since. Exploring the pastel medium, Liotard’s itinerant career and the stories behind the objects he depicts, this catalogue puts Liotard and The Lavergne Family Breakfast in the spotlight. Liotard was a flamboyant artist and unusually well travelled for his time, spending four formative years in Constantinople and working at the courts of Vienna, Paris and London, as well as in commercial centres such as Lyon and Amsterdam, becoming a celebrity wherever he went. This beautifully illustrated publication offers readers a fresh perspective on the eighteenth century and an accessible introduction to a particularly idiosyncratic and gifted artist Published by National Gallery Global/Distributed by Yale University Press Exhibition Schedule: The National Gallery, London (November 16, 2023–March 3, 2024)
£16.99
National Gallery Company Ltd Paula Rego: Crivelli’s Garden
The first book to focus on Dame Paula Rego’s little-known monumental triptych, Crivelli’s Garden, featuring an original short story by novelist Chloe Aridjis, new photography, and an art historical essay Dame Paula Rego RA (1935–2022) was a British-Portuguese artist whose large-scale figurative paintings explored human relationships and the experience of women through compelling, often subversive compositions. Inspired by the predella panel of Carlo Crivelli’s altarpiece La Madonna della Rondine (after 1490), Rego produced Crivelli’s Garden in 1990−91 while she was artist in residence at the National Gallery. This monumental triptych reimagined the site of Crivelli’s panel as a radical space populated by female figures from myth, folklore, and the Bible, alongside animals drawn from Aesop’s fables and other classical texts. Literature was a major influence on Rego’s practice throughout her career: this publication in turn celebrates the far-reaching influence of Rego’s paintings with an original short story by Mexican novelist Chloe Aridjis, inspired by Rego’s triptych. Illustrated with previously unpublished preparatory drawings and newly photographed details of the painting, the book also features an art historical essay on the work. Published by National Gallery Global/Distributed by Yale University PressExhibition Schedule: The National Gallery, London; (July 20–October 29, 2023)
£16.99
National Gallery Company Ltd Lucian Freud: New Perspectives
A significant publication of original writing on Lucian Freud, including interviews with leading contemporary artists, marking the 100th anniversary of his birth Lucian Freud (1922–2011) was one of the greatest figurative painters of the twentieth century. With an unflinching eye and an uncompromising commitment to his work, he created masterpieces that continue to inspire contemporary artists to the present day. Spanning nearly 70 years, Freud’s career has often been overshadowed by his biography and celebrity. This book re-examines his paintings through a broad series of original approaches. Texts by a variety of rising and established international writers explore topics ranging from the compositional echoes of old master paintings in Freud’s works, to the contextualization of his practice within the class struggles of 1980s Britain. Throughout the book, leading contemporary painters such as Tracey Emin and Chantal Joffe give insightful testimony to the relevance of Freud today. Marking the 100th anniversary of Freud’s birth, this publication accompanies the first major exhibition of his work in 10 years. Presenting fresh perspectives on his paintings, it introduces Freud to a new generation of scholars and enthusiasts – demonstrating his lasting international importance. Published by National Gallery Global/Distributed by Yale University Press
£25.00
National Gallery Company Ltd Durer's Journeys: Travels of a Renaissance Artist
An exploration of Dürer’s career and legacy as an international traveling artist The visual legacy of Dürer’s travels extends far beyond his lifetime and throughout Europe, and the documents illuminating them offer unique insights into the distinctive ways Dürer conducted and managed his career, making him an intriguing—and even controversial—figure. This generously illustrated book examines the career of preeminent Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) as an international traveler, addressing his relations with artists from Italy to the Low Countries, including Giovanni Bellini, Joos van Cleve, Jan Gossaert, Lucas van Leyden, Quentin Massys, and Bernard van Orley. Bringing together paintings, drawings and prints, the book examines Dürer as an artist-entrepreneur, explorer, and innovator of artistic theory. Dürer’s treatises and letters, and his detailed journal documenting his journey to the Low Countries in 1520–21, offer insights into his artistic practices and encounters with artists and patrons, as well as the nature of travel in the early 16th century. Published by National Gallery Company/Distributed by Yale University Press Exhibition Schedule:The National Gallery, London March 6, 2021—June 13, 2021 Suermondt-Ludwig Museum, Aachen July 18, 2021—October 24, 2021
£40.00
National Gallery Company Ltd Monochrome: Painting in Black and White
Painting “without color” has long held a fascination for artists. In this striking and original book, the authors explore how and why artists from the 15th century to the present have chosen to paint in black, white, and shades of gray. Sometimes artists used trompe l’oeil monochromatic effects to represent other media, such as sculpture, prints, or photography; others have consciously limited their palette as a means of re-focusing the viewer’s attention, while contemporary artists such as Gerhard Richter and Bridget Riley have often found inspiration in pushing black and white to its limits, and in new directions. The authors trace the history of this art form, from the symbolism of sacred images in medieval church ritual – epitomized in Netherlandish painting from the 15th century onwards by Hans Memling and Jan van Eyck – to the modern era and the work of artists such as Josef Albers and Ellsworth Kelly. Published by National Gallery Company/Distributed by Yale University PressExhibition Schedule:National Gallery, London (10/30/17–02/18/18)Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf (03/21/18–07/15/18)
£35.00
National Gallery Company Ltd A Closer Look: Techniques of Painting
How do artists create different effects when painting? The medium they choose—such as oil, watercolor, or egg tempera—plays an important part. So too does the material they paint on, the pigments used, and even the type of brush. Using examples from the National Gallery Collection, Jo Kirby shows how a painting is made, and reveals the processes behind an array of fascinating techniques. With clear explanations and close-up photography, this book will help you see paintings with a fresh eye.Published by National Gallery Company / Distributed by Yale University Press
£11.24
National Gallery Company Ltd An American Experiment: George Bellows and the Ashcan Painters
In the first decades of the 20th century, George Bellows and other painters of the Ashcan School, a loosely connected group of gritty, urban realists, created images of the city from street level. Following older artist Robert Henri's insistence that artists should make "pictures from life," the Ashcanners renounced the polished academic style taught in art schools of the time. Instead they practiced a more urgent manner working with bold, highly saturated color, seeking to catch the ebb and flow of life in urban America. Some of them, particularly Bellows, also produced vivid landscapes and portraits. This book introduces the artists of the Ashcan School and the key characteristics and themes of their work. Detailed commentaries are provided for twelve significant paintings by George Bellows, William Glackens, Robert Henri, George Luks, and John Sloan, ranging from depictions of the metropolitan throng to Bellows's vivid seascapes. In their visual contemplation of early-20th-century America, these artists offer deep insights into the nature of ordinary life not only in their time but also in our own.Published by National Gallery Company / Distributed by Yale University PressExhibition Schedule:The National Gallery, London(03/03/11-05/30/11)
£11.24
National Gallery Company Ltd Vermeer and Music: The Art of Love and Leisure
A fascinating exploration of the role of music in the art of Vermeer and many of his contemporaries Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) is one of the world’s most captivating artists. Renowned for his sublimely beautiful depictions of everyday Dutch life, Vermeer created exquisite paintings that are sought out by any art lover. Music was a key facet of 17th-century Dutch life, in both public and private. Of Vermeer’s thirty-six surviving paintings, twelve depict musical themes or a musical instrument. These include the magnificent Young Woman Standing at a Virginal, Young Woman Seated at a Virginal, The Music Lesson, and The Guitar Player, all featured in this book.The book also includes paintings by Vermeer’s contemporaries, such as Gerard ter Borch (1617–1681), Gabriel Metsu (1629–1667), and Jan Steen (c. 1626–1679). Vermeer and Music provides new insight into the cultural significance of these images. A historical overview of musical instruments and entertainment in the Dutch Republic, including the abundant publication of songbooks filled with love songs and poems, some richly illustrated, contextualizes the fascinating relationship between music and the visual arts.Published by National Gallery Company/Distributed by Yale University PressExhibition Schedule:The National Gallery, London(06/26/13–09/08/13)
£11.24
National Gallery Company Ltd A Closer Look: Frames
Frames often catch the eye and arouse the curiosity of visitors to galleries and museums, yet labels and catalogues rarely comment on them. Nicholas Penny conveys his interest in the history of frames, the design and techniques of frame-making, what frames do for paintings, and the part they play in the decoration and often the architecture of an interior. The emphasis is on the changing function and varied purpose of frames as well as the different styles of ornament, materials, finishes, and techniques used. This Closer Look guide is illustrated by frames from the National Gallery's magnificent collection.Published by National Gallery Company/Distributed by Yale University Press
£11.24
National Gallery Company Ltd Turner on Tour
An exploration of Turner as an artist-traveler, in relation to two important European harbor scenes This publication marks the return to the United Kingdom, for the first time in over a century, of two groundbreaking oil paintings by J. M. W. Turner (1775–1851), on loan from The Frick Collection in New York: Harbour of Dieppe: Changement de Domicile and Cologne, the Arrival of a Packet-Boat: Evening. They were acquired by wealthy American industrialist Henry Clay Frick in 1914 and have remained in the USA ever since. Painted in the mid-1820s, Dieppe and Cologne exemplify Turner’s lifelong fascination with the subject of ports and harbors—past and present—as dynamic, transitional places. Exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1825 and 1826 respectively, they represent in powerfully visual terms the outcomes of Turner’s regular sketching tours within Europe that were central to his fame as an artist-traveler, as well as his radical approach to color, light, and brushwork. This sumptuously illustrated publication examines Turner’s creative process, and his use of sketchbooks and watercolors to capture his ideas as he traveled. Published by National Gallery Global/Distributed by Yale University Press
£16.50
National Gallery Company Ltd Winslow Homer: Force of Nature
An accessible introduction to American painter Winslow Homer, examining his work through the lens of conflict A fresh exploration of the work of iconic American painter Winslow Homer (1836–1910) through the lens of conflict, a recurring theme in his prolific career. A persistent fascination with struggle permeates Homer’s art—from emblematic images of the Civil War and Reconstruction to dazzling tropical works and monumental marines—and reveals his lifelong engagement with the charged subjects of race, nature, and the environment. This publication illuminates Homer’s preoccupation with the complex social and political issues of his era—war, slavery, imperialism—as well as his broader concerns with the fragility of human life and dominance of nature. These powerful themes are present in his earliest Civil War and Reconstruction paintings, which explore the effect of the conflict on the landscape, soldiers, and the formerly enslaved. They continue through his later images of rural life, dramatic rescues, and hunting—paintings that grapple with the often uneasy relationship between humans and the natural world. Toward the end of his life, human figures were reduced to tiny, irrelevant presences, while the ocean acquired a pivotal role. This richly illustrated volume will be published to accompany a retrospective at the National Gallery, organized in collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Published by National Gallery Global/Distributed by Yale University Press
£20.04
National Gallery Company Ltd The National Gallery in Wartime
On August 23, 1939, with World War II looming, the National Gallery, London, was forced temporarily to close its doors to the public to evacuate the bulk of its collection to secret locations in Wales for safe-keeping. By May 1940, the collection had been transferred to Manod Quarry, a slate mine in the mountains, beneath 200 feet of solid rock. The Gallery, meanwhile, remained “open for business” despite being bombed several times during the Blitz. This enthralling and richly documented book recounts for the first time the story of how the National Gallery functioned during this eventful period. With extensive archival photographs, many of which are published here for the first time, alongside press accounts and Gallery correspondence, it discusses the preparations to move the pictures; the Gallery’s decision to keep the building open for temporary exhibitions and lunchtime concerts fronted by internationally renowned pianist Myra Hess; director Kenneth Clark’s role as chairman of the War Artists Advisory Committee, whose aim was to commission and exhibit pictures recording the war; and the institution of the Picture of the Month, which exhibited in succession 43 of the Gallery’s best-known pictures during the war, and which continues today. Published by National Gallery Company/Distributed by Yale University Press
£13.60