art history

A classic now back in print and enriched with new imagery, James J. Rorimer's riveting first-hand account takes readers on a treasure hunt as he follows the Allied troops across France and Germany to save Nazi-stolen masterpieces of art. James J. Rorimer, former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, became a leading figure in the art recovery unit known as the Monuments Men, an elite group imbedded in the US Army, who risked their lives during World War II to save Europe's greatest artworks from Hitler's grasp. In the film Monuments Men, Matt Damon's character is based on Rorimer as he embarks on the world's most dangerous real-life hunt for stolen artworks with the goal of locating, seizing, and returning the works to their original holders, including museums and private collectors. This new edition of a book first published in 1950 includes the original illustrations from the first edition plus a wealth of new imagery and ephemera uncovered during extensive research, including WWII photo-graphs, many taken by Rorimer himself, that are accompanied by gorgeous reproductions of many of the Old Masters Rorimer helped save by artists such as Rembrandt, Leonardo da Vinci, Bruegel, Vermeer, Goya, Velazquez, and van Eyck. Maps created specially for this volume, and other facts about WWII history and geography, add new dimension to a remarkable story of courage, perseverance, and ultimately, triumph.

Looks at the history of art, how different cultures influence art, key forms of Western culture in art and more.

Provides a fictional account of the life of Pan Yuliang, an early twentieth-century artist who was raised in a brothel, purchased as a second wife by a wealthy official, and was later forced to move to France when her paintings of nudes proved to be an insult to the Chinese government.

Includes artists' biographies, art prints, and de- scriptions of the art works.

Assembles 100 paintings that stand out in the history of art because they transcended boundaries to show that which had never been seen before. Texts explain the backgrounds and special aspects of each work as well as its ranking in the canon of art history.

Presents the difference between viewing a work of art and really seeing it by detailing the study of art such as composition, movement, unity, balance, color, light/dark contrast and mood so that a viewer can appreciate art and architecture.