National Gallery of Art: Master Paintings from the Collection

by John Oliver Hand

A collection of beautiful reproductions of some of the world's greatest masterpieces that have their home within the nation's art collection highlights many recent acquisitions and includes a curator's fascinating commentary. 10,000 first printing.

Genres: Art, Art History

492 pages, Hardcover

First published July 28, 2004

About the author

John Oliver Hand is the former curator of northern Renaissance paintings at the National Gallery Of Art Washington D.C..

Reviews

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book of artwork from the National Gallery of Art that I stumbled across in my local library. It’s a very nice way of experiencing such great artwork if unable to physically visit the museum. Along with each piece is some information about it, and for certain works it includes a short essay describing the work, the artist, and other details. It’s organized by century, and then by region. This was a nice way to see some of the similarities and differences between different ages, regions and schools of art. Though I can’t claim to fully appreciate each piece in the book, I did very much appreciate the experience of viewing each of them at my leisure. Granted, the photos in the book are much smaller and entirely two dimensional as compared to seeing in person, but it is an oversized book of about 9x12 inches which I think strikes a good balance. Highly recommended for those interested in paintings from artists considered great masters throughout the years.

[Phillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

WELL ORGANIZED WITH DETAILED SUCCINCT DESCRIPTIONS AND ANALYSIS

[Chris Gager · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just visited this place for the second time about a month ago. That previous visit was in the mid-sixties. What a mob scene on Memorial weekend! Plus there were some important galleries closed. Isn't that always the case. I guess I'll just have to go back. Seeing the cover painting reproduced in The New Yorker got me interested in Vermeer. That was several years ago. Saw the real thing in a small gallery. It's a very small painting. Date read is approximate.

[Miri Gifford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love looking through books of collections of art. This one's a little too heavy for my coffee table, but it was lovely to read through.