Peter Paul Rubens, 1577-1640: The Masterpieces from the Viennese Collections

by Johann Kräftner (Editor), Peter Paul Rubens, Wilfred Seipel

Many European cities claim to be cities of Rubens. They do so either for biographical reasons—because the artist once lived there—or because of the presence of his paintings in their museums' collections. But since the spring of 2004, when the major works in the Collections of the Prince of Liechtenstein returned to their traditional home, Vienna has been outshining the other Rubens cities, such as Antwerp and Genoa, both in the sheer number and in the importance of its Rubens paintings. Because of the variety and high quality of their works by Rubens, the great collections of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Liechtenstein Museum, and the Gemäldegalerie der Akademie der bildenden Künste are in a position to provide a comprehensive overview of the artist's career. "The Triptych of St. Ildefonso," the Decius Mus cycle, portraits of Rubens' children, and the virtuoso oil sketches for the ceiling paintings of Antwerp's Jesuit Church are only a few examples of the artist's outstanding masterpieces in Vienna. With its opulent photographs, including numerous details and comparative illustrations, this magnificent book presents more than ninety works by the Flemish master. Over 200 color illustrations.

382 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2005

About the author

Johann Kräftner (* 1951 in St. Pölten, Niederösterreich) ist ein österreichischer Ausstellungsgestalter und Museumsdirektor. Kräftner studierte Architektur mit Schwerpunkt Kunstgeschichte und Denkmalpflege und wurde über das österreichische Bürgerhaus promoviert. Daneben arbeitete er schriftstellerisch und als Fotograf für die Kunstzeitschrift Parnass. 1998 übernahm er die Leitung des Instituts für künstlerische Gestaltung der TU Wien. Seit 2004 ist er der Direktor des Liechtenstein Museums in Wien bzw. der Fürstlichen Sammlungen Vaduz.

Reviews

[Lamooş Moh]

nice one