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From Van Eyck to Bruegel: Early Netherlandish Painting in The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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This handsomely produced Abrams book catalogues the key works of Netherlandish Art held by New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Published as an accompanying volume to the great exibition of the same title, which was on display from September 1998 through the beginning of January of 1999, this work, in the words of the publisher, "Presents an overview of of one of the great epochs of Western art as seen through the extensive collection of the Metropolitan Museum...(this epoch) encompasses a century and a quarter of unparalleled artistic innovation and achievement realized in the geographic area of modern Belgium and the Netherlands."

Abrahms has turned out a lavish book, with 312 illustrations, 152 in full color, and they certainly are undeniably a high point. However, the book also contains four long essays leading off, and then the Catalogue proper has a series of discussions by Maryan W. Ainsworth. There is a concluding essay by Nadine M. Orenstein on "Bruegel, the Land, and the Peasants."

Concluding this scholarship are sixty further pages with additional works, glossary, and a enormous bibliography. The index and credits end the tome. The extraordinarily far-ranging bibliography certainly impresses - it would give pause to even the most jaded student of Art History.

The level of writing varies - sometimes we are back at the bad old days of Abrahms art books, where somewhat obvious generalized and subjective impressions pass for thinking, but usually the works are treated with serious criticism. Important works receive a justly deserved high level of attention. The editing nicely keeps pictures and text in sync.

The Museum's unequalled collection of Gerald David is certainly a high spot of the catalogue; theirs is the largest holding of David's work in the world. Professor Ainsworth, who has written a 1994 book on Petrus Christus, and who is responsible for much of the Catalogue text, has also written another full book on Gerald David - Gerard David A Purity of Vision in an Age of Transition If you like the David section you might consider taking a long look at this work.

One caveat: If you are primarily looking for a book filled with images of the major works of the period first, and erudition second, you might consider looking at the much less expensive book,Early Flemish Painting It's a great book, and certainly makes a wonderful addition to any collection of art books.