Masterpieces of the Albertina

by Achim Gnann, Maren Groning, Christine Ekelhart

In 1776, the Genoese art expert Giacomo Conte Durazzo presented Duke Albert and his wife Marie-Christine with the modest seed of the Albertina's collection, almost 1000 pieces of art. Albert went on to acquire drawings by Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael, to trade other works away for a D rer portfolio, and eventually to will his estate so that the collection would stay in Austria, where it has continued to grow. This nearly 450-page volume features almost 300 of the Albertina's most important drawings, from the early fifteenth century to the present, by artists ranging from Pisanello, Raphael, Michelangelo, D rer, Rubens, Rembrandt, Watteau and Boucher to Chagall, Picasso, Klimt, Schiele, Klee, Kandinsky, Pollock and Baselitz. An essay on the museum's history, well-researched descriptions and clear explanations of the significance and function of each drawing make this an excellent overview not just of one collection, but of the medium itself.

448 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2007