The Impressionists Revealed
Masterpieces from Private Collections
Many of the great works of Impressionism are housed in private collections and are rarely or never seen by the public. Thanks to the generous cooperation of their owners, this book presents in colour 92 of these masterpieces, many of which have never before been reproduced in an art book although some have been in sale catalogues and consequently have had only limited exposure.
Major paintings by Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, van Gogh, and Gauguin are presented, along with others by second generation Impressionists like Henri Martin, Charles Conder, Philip Wilson Steer, Rupert Bunny and John Peter Russell. Also included are superb Impressionist works by artists usually associated with different styles, such as William Merritt Chase, a gifted society portrait painter. Art historian Susanna de Vries‑Evans presents a lucid commentary on the masterpieces she has chosen, including where possible a history of their ownership. She adds colourful anecdotal material on the artists, providing a bright and stimulating panorama of the Impressionist movement.
In today's world of multi-million-dollar prices for the Impressionists, fakes and forgeries are common. Curators, dealers and the public alike are well aware of the value of the provenance or pedigree of a painting, and information on the great collectors of the late 19th and 20th centuries is eagerly sought. The last part of this book gives detailed information on collectors of Impressionist art from 1874 onwards, with special reference to 20th-century private collections in Britain, Europe, America and Australasia, only some of which are open to the public in small but fascinating private art museums.
The author examines what has motivated the collectors; from those who nurture and cherish their paintings like children to others who buy for investment only and lock their paintings away in a bank vault. She writes about those collections built up by wealthy industrialists like Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza in Switzerland, Samuel Courtauld in Britain, Paul Mellon and his sister and Norton Simon in America, and Helene Krö1ler-Müller in Holland. The Impressionist artists themselves ‑ Gauguin, Degas, Manet and Caillebotte ‑ all purchased works by poorer members of the group such as Monet, Renoir, Sisley and Pissarro. Of general interest are the works belonging to people in the public eye ‑ for example, Elizabeth Taylor, Alan Bond and the late Queen Mother who own Impressionist paintings reproduced in this beautiful and interesting book, filled with details about the lives of the artists and the gossip of the art world.
The book also traces the history and movement of these fine works of art ‑ a task which is often difficult because some contemporary collectors insist on remaining anonymous. Although it features a commentary on over 60 collectors, with particular emphasis on those of the twentieth century, it is impossible in a work of this nature to include all major collectors and this is the author's selection of those she considers most important.COPIES CAN BE OBATINED FROM TIME WARNER BOOKS IN LONDON OR FROM PIRGOS PRESS, CUTTY SARK STUDIO, 10 MATINGARA STREET, BRISBANE 4060 AUSTRLIA, price $55.00 plus $10 postage in Australian and $20 overseas.
