Customer Reviews

Master Paintings in the Art Institute of Chicago

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This is a great coffee table book that includes many important paintings of Art Institute of Chicago. All the images are in color, and the story of each painting and the artist is given. Each painting is described on a single page, and therefore the pictures are sufficiently large and detailed. The book starts with 15th century religious paintings, and progresses to include well known impressionist paintings such as Seurat's Sunday on La Grande Jatte and Renoir's Two sisters. It also has a section on 20th century paintings. Not a substitute to seeing the actual works, but it is close...

The Art Institute of Chicago houses a world-renown collection of artwork that spans the complete and diverse spectrum of six centuries of painting. Now in a revised and expanded second edition, Master Paintings In The Art Institute Of Chicago organizes and showcases 149 major paintings (like the Insitute itself) into European, American, and Twentieth-Century categories. This outstanding introduction to the history of art in general, and the Art Insitute of Chicago's impressive collection in particular, would grace any personal, academic, or community library artbook collection.

Oh sure you have your Louvre & MOMA. But the city of big shoulders presents a formidable art museum in the Art Institute.

From it's beginning it was intended that the Art Institute collect actual masterpieces in all periods and styles. And a visit to the redesigned museum proves that the founding fathers wish has been fulfilled.An international success story which slowly collected awe inspiring works of art from around the world and through the various ages.

Cezanne's dynamic 'Basket of Apples'.
De Kooning's breakout 'Excavation'.
A monumental Clifford Still.
One of Chicago's very own, Joan Mitchell 'City Landscape'.
Another Chicagoan's Leon Golub, (hard to look at) Interrogation II.
Two iconic Parisian compositions:
........Lautrec's 'At the Moulin Rouge' (yea-that green face)
........Caillebotte's 'Rainy Day' (ya-perferct symmetry).
Matisse considered 'Bathers By a River' as his most pivotal work.
Picasso's 'The Old Guitarist'. You know, the bent old blue guy. See here art students, he painted it at the age of 22 (get busy).
The envy of all art museums; Seurat's 'La Grande Jatte'.
And super mastepiece; El Greco's 'Assumprtion' (WOW).
Maybe not the best Pollack or the best Gauguin. But they make up for it with Monet, Van Gogh,Rembrandt, Rubens,Manet and Jasper Johns.
Oh did we mention Hooper's 'Nighthawks? (Gotcha).

Ten years since their first Masterpieces book. The Art Institute has put together a wonderful book containing hundreds of high quality reproductions. Reflecting the Institutes vision and ambition.

Update 1/31/2010: I think Amazon has bunched this 2009 edition with the previous 2000 edition. Im not positive so check before you buy. Looked through it again today. Fresh elegant book. Nice gift. Thanks!

A must-have for anyone who has visited this fantastic art museum. The visit can easily be relived through this book.

This is a beautiful coffee table book, but also has useful information. I bought this before a trip to the Art Institute so I could get a good review of the highlights. This book includes works from a variety of time periods as well, which is nice. Very pretty and informative! Would not be for academic purposes, but nice general overview.

This is a magnificent book celebrating just a few of the extraordinary works of art in this magnificent museum, now made even more so by Renzo Piano's Modern Wing.