National Gallery of Art: Master Paintings from the Collection
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 toGinevra 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 SeamanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved