French Art Treasures at the Hermitage [Hardcover]

Albert Kostenovich (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Four years ago, a similarly titled book from Abrams by Hermitage curator Kostenevich--Hidden Treasures Revealed (LJ 6/15/95)--achieved critical acclaim and best seller status. This new volume lives up to that achievement while presenting completely new material. The earlier book highlights 74 paintings taken from Germany after World War II, while this latest study looks at 416 paintings, drawings, and sculptures--most nationalized from Russian collections after the 1917 Revolution. Photographs document some of this art as it was originally displayed in the homes of Alexander III and members of the prominent Shchukin and Morozov families. Although some of the paintings were illustrated in Kostenevich's Western European Painting in the Hermitage: 19th-20th Centuries (1987. o.p.), lesser-known French artists are included, as are even more images by famous Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, some previously unpublished. A substantial chronological narrative has been added to focus on the French art scene from 1860 to 1950. This stunning book is highly recommended for all academic and public libraries.
-Anne Marie Lane, American Heritage Ctr., Laramie, WY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher

The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, holds one of the world's finest collections of French art from 1860 to 1950. Now, for the first time, art lovers can marvel at the full scope of the museum's magnificent holdings in this field, and read about how the collection was created. This extravagantly illustrated book showcases all of the Hermitage's celebrated Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterworks-by Monet, Renoir, Czanne, Gauguin, van Gogh, and others-as well as an astounding 60 works by Matisse and 40 by Picasso. But it also features a panoply of paintings by other artists-among them Bonnard, Vuillard, Dufy, and Derain-plus a trove of never-before-seen treasures, including works in storerooms, paintings on canvas backs, and five works-by Utrillo, Rouault, and others-acquired through a recent gift to the museum from Boris Yeltsin. 476 illustrations, 433 in full color, 6 gatefolds, 933/4 x 1111/2" Subsidiary Rights: Selected by Book-of-the-Month Club Albert Kostenevich has been curator of modern European art at the Hermitage for 30 years. A world-renowned expert on modern French art, he is the author of 19 previous books, including Abrams' international best-seller Hidden Treasures Revealed.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 408 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; 1St Edition edition (November 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810938898
• ISBN-13: 978-0810938892
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 10.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,000,256 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Book of Gorgeous French Art!, August 30, 2000

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: French Art Treasures at the Hermitage (Hardcover)

I have had the pleasure of visiting the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia. If you ever have the chance to go, I highly recommend it. I spent three wonderful days in the Hermitage and would have been content going back every day for the rest of my vacation. Although some museums surpass the Hermitage in their collections (surprisingly few), none has fewer visitors per masterpiece. It was not unusual to be alone in a room of Van Goghs for 30 minutes at a time. The lightly guarded museum does not even have a security guard in every room. So the experience of the museum is a wonderfully intimate one.

If you never go to St. Petersburg, you must get and read this outstanding work about the French art from 1860 to 1950. Most of these works do not travel very much, so you won't see them otherwise. That would be a terrible shame, because many significant works, especially the Matisses and Gauguins, from this period are in the collection.

How did such a great French art collection find its way to Russia? That's an interesting story, and the book begins with a long essay about that. Although the Czar and the nobility had always collected art, this period of French art was not very appealing to them. A new merchant class had grown up, and they embraced advanced art from France (beyond the salon portraits the nobles commissioned) that became known as Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. After the Communists firmed up their hold on Russia, museums were consolidated and private collections were expropriated. You will enjoy seeing black and white photographs from the many private museums that these business people sponsored. The Shchukin and Morozov collections form an important base for this collection, as well as having provided important support for these French artists before they were well established.

In most art books, not enough of the reproductions are in color. This book is the exception. The reproductions are essentially all in color. There are 433 of them in color. They are also done in large sizes in many cases, which makes it easier to appreciate them.

The Hermitage is particularly rich is works by Matisse and Picasso, and these are presented in depth in this book. You will also find lots of Monet, Renoir, Cezanne, Gauguin, Degas, Van Gogh, Rodin, and Bartholome. Outstanding examples of works by lesser known artists round out the collection in a way that will give you a different sense of the period than you get at the Musee D'Orsay or the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Albert Kostenevich is by far the world's authority on these works, as their primary curator for over 30 years. No one else has had nearly as much access or incentive to study them. He has written several fine, detailed essays that relate the works to each other and explain the works. In fact, this is better than going to the Hermitage because you would not have him at your side to explain things there.

And, naturally, if you have been to the Hermitage, this book makes a fabulous souvenir. Treat yourself today!

After enjoying this wonderful book, ask yourself, what other outstanding art collections have I not yet seen? Even if you cannot visit them, there may well be a book on the collection that you can order from Amazon.com!

5.0 out of 5 stars I concur, January 17, 2011

By 

TrailBlazer (Sioux Falls) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: French Art Treasures at the Hermitage (Hardcover)

Exceptional museum quality art book. Chance to see a wider range of the well-known and be introduced to some less well-known. A book of this quality I would put at a $100 value.