National Gallery of Art, Washington

by John Walker

1976, 696 pages loaded with photos and info. 10 By 11 3/4" 2 1/2 " thick. 8 Pound book.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, History, Art History, Reference, Art Design

696 pages, Hardcover

First published April 7, 1977

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.

Reviews

[Eleanor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a mean-spirited book. I've been reading the commentary, but have given it up and now just look at the pictures (which are excellent reproductions). Mr Walker seems to focus on the the sharp dealings TNG has done to acquire masterpieces, especially regarding the Rubens, but others as well. His critique of the presented works reflects the prejudices of his time (or perhaps his own, but if so, he was a short-sighted individual), and there is no allowance for context or a nod to the development of art across the eras, much less a recognition of the influences felt by artists from different global regions. In short, Mr Walker is an art snob and rather tedious to read due to this superior attitude.
There is no comparison between this and Gombrich's The Story of Art, an outstanding, educational overview of art.
It is a convenient way to view TNG collection, so I gave it 3 stars.

[Tyler Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Anica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this at an estate sale for $20 (which is a-fucking-lot at what is basically a yard sale.) Juneau and I look at this almost every night at bedtime. It makes me feel like I'm doing something right for her.

[Ostap Bender · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happiness is finding a great deal at a library book sale. I was quite pleased to pay $5 for this giant book of art from the National Gallery in Washington DC. It features 1,120 illustrations, almost all of them color, and many of them at the full page size of 9.5 x 11.5 inches. And what a collection it is, featuring paintings from the early Italian and Northern masters to those of the 20th century, as well as sculptures and drawings. It was interesting to read about the shrewd way the collection was acquired, and the commentary on the pieces, while a bit uneven and ‘old school’ (calling to mind some of the points Berger made in ‘Ways of Seeing’), sometimes revealed some interesting facts.

It’s very hard to pick favorites, but here are 25 paintings and a handful of sculptures and drawings which were at the top for me (as there were 40+ other works that were under consideration, so at least parts of this list could easily change in another frame of mind). Upon looking up a few of these on the museum’s website to compose a ‘virtual tour’, I find some of the titles have changed slightly since 1974, when this edition was first published. It’s also too bad more of these weren’t on the National Gallery’s ‘Intimate Impressionism’ tour, which reached San Francisco in 2014.

1. Leonardo da Vinci - Ginevra de' Benci 1480
2. Raphael - Bindo Altoviti 1515
3. Titian - Venus with a Mirror 1555
4. Gentileschi - The Lute Player 1612/20
5. Murillo - A Girl and Her Duenna 1655/60
6. Hals - Balthasar Coymans 1645
7. Rembrandt - The Mill 1645-48
8. El Greco - Laocoon 1610
9. Boucher - Venus Consoling Love 1751
10. de Goya - Dona Teresa Sureda 1805
11. Raeburn - Miss Eleanor Urquhart 1793
12. Turner - Mortlake Terrace 1826
13. Manet - Flowers in a Crystal Vase 1882
14. Renoir - Odalisque 1870
15. Degas - Four Dancers 1899
16. Cezanne - House of Pere Lacroix 1873
17. van Gogh - Farmhouse in Provence, Arles 1888
18. Redon - Evocation of Roussel 1912
19. Rousseau - Rendezvous in the Forest 1889
20. Fantin-Latour - Mademoiselle de Fitz-James 1867
21. Homer - Breezing Up 1876
22. Cassatt - The Boating Party 1893-94
23. Modigliani - Chaim Soutine 1917
24. Feininger - Zirchow VII 1918
25. Hartley - Mount Kitadhin 1942

1. Rodin - The Evil Spirits 1899
2. Tassaert - Painting and Sculpture 1775-78
3. Lehmbruck - Seated Youth (The Friend) 1917
4. Bernini - Self-Portrait 1614-15
5. Picasso - Self-Portrait 1902

[Robert Costic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looked through John Walker’s gigantic book on the National Gallery of Art’s collection. Overall it’s a great exposition of the museum’s collection, but I was scandalized by the sexism of the blurb given for Mary Cassatt. After all, he didn’t ask if art’s sacrifice was worthwhile for Degas, who also went blind, or for Gauguin, who actually abandoned his family to paint.

[CybercrrEDU · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually have had this book for a very long time. I found it at a thrift store. I find myself coming back to it time and again even if it's to fact check or share something in a conversation. This book is a massive tome of knowledge on art history. It's a definite treasure.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reproductions were beautiful. I wonder how much the collection has changed in the 50 years since the book was published. The next time we go to DC, I am definitely going to have to spend most of my time there!

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: I rated the book, not the art.

A lot of Biblical subjects and portraits. Mostly European artists, which kind of makes me wonder why it's called the National Gallery. Some of the pieces go back to the 14th century, and we see how art was different in previous eras: paintings on wood, paintings over other paintings, uncertainty of the artist's identity, etc.

Some of the analysis is a bit snooty. I don't agree with the belief that form / technical achievement is all-important. A bit too much attention is paid to the ownership histories of the paintings. But there's some interesting art trivia. There are 122 paintings shown, the majority of which are full-page size, and they're not small pages. Monet, Cezanne, Degas, Gauguin, van Gogh, Goya, El Greco, da Vinci, Matisse, Rembrandt, Renoir, Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Vermeer are all represented here. It's a good read for people who don't live in the D.C. area. As for the museum, if you like portraits and older art, you should like it. If not, I'd avoid.

My favorites:
"The Small Crucifixion" - Mathis Grunewald
"A Young Girl Reading" - Jean-Honore Fragonard
"Arabs Skirmishing in the Mountains" - Eugene Delacroix
"A Corner of the Moulin de la Galette" - Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
"Chaim Soutine" - Amedeo Modigliani
"Family of the Saltimbanques" - Pablo Picasso

[R.J. Guy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book with beautiful reproductions of Western Civilization's great works of art. It focuses primarily on paintings, particularly oil paintings which is a major part of the National Gallery's collection. The commentary was very helpful although a little technical for those not familiar with artists' jargon. Some of the opinions of the author are a little hard to reconcile with what one sees, but I guess it's a good case of "beauty in the eyes of the beholder." Still an excellent art education and has inspired me to learn more about art. The book was revised in 1984, so it's not up to date on more recent acquisitions. Definitely a "keeper" in my library!

[Cws]

XOS-759W

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

By John Walker, Director of the National Gallery of Art - 1963