Unique view of the ‘tronies’ in art from the Netherlands

Our fascination for faces transcends eras and cultures. Turning Heads – Rubens, Rembrandt and Vermeer highlights a remarkable genre in painting to which little attention has so far been paid: tronies or study heads, which were intended first and foremost to depict an emotion or a character trait. Since the model’s identity did not matter, painters could truly go to town with these heads. Tronies were drawn and painted by some of the greatest masters: Dürer, Bruegel, Massys, Rubens, Rembrandt and Vermeer, to name just a few. Turning Heads offers a fresh insight into a genre that is older and more varied than you might think. This book includes dozens of illustrations plus the thoughts of contemporary artists for whom the face is essential to their own work.

Catalogue for the exhibition of the same name at the KMSKA in Antwerp (from October 20, 2023 to January 21, 2024) and the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin (from February 24 to May 26, 2024).

About the Author:

Nico Van Hout Head of Collection Research - Curator Seventeenth Century Paintings, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten (KMSKA) in Antwerpen (Antwerp), Belgium.

"Wonderland" is a unique coffee table book that takes the reader into the fascinating world of mushrooms. Dutch photographer Jan Vermeer took on this incomparable project after being fascinated by the beauty of two fly agaric in his own garden. Equipped with his camera, he enthusiastically set off on a mushroom hunt and was rewarded with pictures in intoxicating colours and shapes of the most extraordinary and sometimes very rare specimens. He has now compiled the most beautiful shots in his photo book "Wonderland". Vermeer took all the pictures for "Wonderland" in his home country, the Netherlands, so the book is not only an artistic work of microphotography, but also an important document and archive of nature and the forest in its present state. 

In short but informative texts, the author describes the wealth of forms of his plant photographic models, their usefulness in medicine, but also the dangers posed by fungi. He explains the symbiosis between fungi and trees and devotes special attention to slime moulds. In entertaining words, Vermeer explains to his readers the challenges he faced as a nature photographer in this ambitious project.

"Wonderland" is the perfect gift for anyone who likes to go mushroom picking, enjoys this little wonder of nature or is fascinated by the unique symbiosis with which mushrooms connect with their environment.

About the Author:

Jan Vermeer is a professional photographer from the Netherlands. He visited over 50 countries including Antarctica, Iceland, Congo, Namibia, and the special atoll Aldabra in the Indian Ocean. His photographs have been awarded in prestigious photo contests such as the BBC Wildlife of the Year Contest. His latest project about mushrooms has been published worldwide in magazines like National Geographic, BBC Wildlife magazine, Focus and many more. The most important thing for Jan is to show how beautiful the natural world is in his purist form. Or, as he puts it together: “I want to evoke awe and reverence”. Only by doing so, will there be a future for our children.

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Посмотреть видео о книге Wonderland: The Secret World of Mushrooms

Published to accompany the once-in-a-lifetime exhibition at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, this is the first major study on Vermeer's life and work for many years

Vermeer's intensely quiet and enigmatic paintings invite the viewer into a private world, often prompting more questions than answers. Who is being portrayed? Are his subjects real or imagined? And how did he create such an unrivalled sense of intimacy?

Bringing together diverse strands of the Dutch master's professional and private worlds, this is the first major authoritative study of Vermeer's life and work for many years, throwing light on all thirty-seven of his paintings.

With a wide selection of contextual illustrations, commentaries and up-to-date research by distinguished international Vermeer scholars, here is the definitive volume on the most admired of all seventeenth-century Dutch masters, one of the world's greatest artists.

With contributions by

Bart Cornelis, National Gallery, London
Bente Frissen, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Sabine Pénot, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Pieter Roelofs, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Friederike Schuett, Staedel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Christian Tico Seifert, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh
Ariane van Suchtelen, Mauritshuis, The Hague
Gregor J.M. Weber, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Marjorie E. Wieseman, National Gallery of Art, Washington

Contents List:

Foreword by Taco Dibbits, general director, Rijksmuseum
Section I: Essays
1. Vermeer - Biography
An introduction to Vermeer's life and work
2. Vermeer - His House
Although little is known about Vermeer as a personality, an investigation into his direct environment reveals much more. Paying a visit to Oude Langendijk in Delft, this essay examines Vermeer's family members, household life and personal possessions.
3. Vermeer's Invented World
Vermeer's paintings are almost exclusively interiors, imbued with a momentary stillness in time which nevertheless has been carefully constructed and orchestrated to direct the observer's gaze. This creation of intimacy is the key theme of the exhibition.
Section II: The Paintings
Includes every painting by Vermeer, grouped in 13 thematic sections, each written by a curatorial authority. Each theme includes 2–4 works:
Delft – Coming Home
Paintings: View of the Delft, The Little Street
Inside – Still-life Figures, Safe World
Paintings: A Maid Asleep, Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window, The Milkmaid
Very Close – Introvert
Paintings: Woman in Blue Reading a Letter, The Lacemaker
Secluded
Paintings: The Music Lesson, The Concert, The Love Letter
Windows – The Outside World Inside
Paintings: Officer and Laughing Girl, Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid, Woman with a Lute, Young Woman with a Water Pitcher
Letters – The World Outside Inside
Paintings: Mistress and Maid, A Lady Writing
Fashionable Intruders
Paintings: The Glass of Wine, The Girl with a Wine Glass, Girl Interrupted in her Music
Attraction/Across the Border
Paintings: Girl with a Red Hat, Girl with Flute, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Study of a Young Woman
Playing Music for.../Waiting for the (music-)partner
Paintings: A Lady Standing at a Virginal, A Lady Seated at a Virginal, The Guitar Player, A Young Woman Seated at the Virginals
The Whole World Inside
Paintings: The Geographer, The Astronomer
World of thoughts/Inner Reflections of Vanity and Faith
Paintings: Woman with a Pearl Necklace, Woman Holding a Balance, Allegory of Catholic Faith
Early Ambitions/Try Outs
Paintings: Saint Praxedis, Christ in the House of Martha and Mary, Diana and her Companions, The Procuress
Late Ambition/Legate, Testimony
Paintings: The Art of Painting

About the Authors:

Both authors work at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Pieter Roelofs is Head of Paintings and Sculpture, and Gregor J. M. Weber is Head of the Department of Fine Arts.

Infallible Eye. Johannes Vermeer, creator of life from oil paint

Despite numbering at just 35, his works have prompted a New York Times bestseller; a film starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth; record visitor numbers at art institutions from Amsterdam to Washington, DC; and special crowd-control measures at the Mauritshuis, The Hague, where thousands flock to catch a glimpse of the enigmatic and enchanting Girl with a Pearl Earring, also known as the “Dutch Mona Lisa”.

In his lifetime, however, the fame of Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) barely extended beyond his native Delft and a small circle of patrons. After his death, his name was largely forgotten, except by a few Dutch art collectors and dealers. Outside of Holland, his works were even misattributed to other artists. It was not until the mid-19th century that Vermeer came to the attention of the international art world, which suddenly looked upon his narrative minutiae, meticulous textural detail, and majestic planes of light, spotted a genius, and never looked back.

This 40th anniversary edition showcases the complete catalog of Vermeer’s work, presenting the calm yet compelling scenes so treasured in galleries across Europe and the United States into one monograph of utmost reproduction quality. Crisp details and essays tracing Vermeer’s career illuminate his remarkable ability not only to bear witness to the trends and trimmings of the Dutch Golden Age but also to encapsulate an entire story in just one transient gesture, expression, or look.

The author

After completing his studies of art history and archaeology at the University of Vienna, Karl Schütz joined the staff of the Gemäldegalerie of the city’s Kunsthistorisches Museum, serving from 1972 as a curator and from 1990 to 2011 as its director. His particular scholarly interests include Netherlandish and Flemish painting, early-16th-century German painting, courtly portraiture, and the history of the Gemäldegalerie collection.

About the series:

TASCHEN is 40! Since we started our work as cultural archaeologists in 1980, TASCHEN has become synonymous with accessible publishing, helping bookworms around the world curate their own library of art, anthropology, and aphrodisia at an unbeatable price. Today we celebrate 40 years of incredible books by staying true to our company credo. The 40 series presents new editions of some of the stars of our program — now more compact, friendly in price, and still realized with the same commitment to impeccable production.

Infallible Eye. Johannes Vermeer, creator of life from oil paint

Discover one of the most admired artists in history: Johannes Vermeer. Complete with crisp reproductions, details, and insightful essays, this monograph spans his entire repertoire, illuminating the artist’s outstanding ability not only to bear witness to the spirit of the Dutch Golden Age, but also to encapsulate an entire story in just one transient gesture, expression, or look.

Despite numbering at just 35, his works have prompted a New York Times bestseller; a film starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth; record visitor numbers at art institutions from Amsterdam to Washington, DC; and special crowd-control measures at the Mauritshuis, The Hague, where thousands flock to catch a glimpse of the enigmatic and enchanting Girl with a Pearl Earring, also known as the “Dutch Mona Lisa”.

In his lifetime, however, the fame of Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) barely extended beyond his native Delft and a small circle of patrons. After his death, his name was largely forgotten, except by a few Dutch art collectors and dealers. Outside of Holland, his works were even misattributed to other artists. It was not until the mid-19th century that Vermeer came to the attention of the international art world, which suddenly looked upon his narrative minutiae, meticulous textural detail, and majestic planes of light, spotted a genius, and never looked back.

This edition brings our complete catalogue of Vermeer’s work to the compact Bibliotheca Universalis format, presenting the calm yet compelling scenes so treasured in galleries across Europe and the United States into one monograph of utmost reproduction quality. Crisp details and essays tracing Vermeer’s career illuminate his remarkable ability not only to bear witness to the trends and trimmings of the Dutch Golden Age but also to encapsulate an entire story in just one transient gesture, expression, or look.

About the Author:

After completing his studies of art history and archaeology at the University of Vienna, Karl Schütz joined the staff of the Gemäldegalerie of the city’s Kunsthistorisches Museum, serving from 1972 as a curator and from 1990 to 2011 as its director. His particular scholarly interests include Netherlandish and Flemish painting, early-16th-century German painting, courtly portraiture, and the history of the Gemäldegalerie collection.

About the series:

Bibliotheca Universalis — Compact cultural companions celebrating the eclectic TASCHEN universe at an unbeatable, democratic price!

Since we started our work as cultural archaeologists in 1980, TASCHEN has become synonymous with accessible, open-minded publishing. Bibliotheca Universalis brings together more than 100 of our all-time favourite titles in a neat new format so you can curate your own affordable library of art, anthropology, and aphrodisia.

Bookworm’s delight — never bore, always excite!

Today we marvel at the shimmering light, the detail and hidden significances within the subtle techniques of Vermeer, Rembrandt, Van Eyck, Frans Hals and their compatriots. 

The luminescent art of the Dutch Masters grew from the bounding confidence of the newly independent Netherlands in the early 1600s. Shed of religious conflict it encouraged a wealthy mercantile class that sought the oceans of the world in search of riches and influence, and a new sensibility in art that cast light across the actions and objects of daily life. 

The Dutch Masters are characterized by the abandonment of religious patronage, allowing, for the first time, a relentless focus on everyday subjects: the taverns, breakfast tables and living rooms of the newly wealthy and the places they loved to visit. 

This wonderful new book, also highlighting the work of the pioneering Rachel Ruysch, is the latest addition to Flame Tree’s highly successful Masterworks series.

Infallible Eye. The astonishing oeuvre of Johannes Vermeer

Just 35 works make up the complete known oeuvre of Johannes Vermeer but in their combination of mimesis and mystery they have secured his place as one of the most admired artists in history. This monograph presents his astonishing catalogue with numerous spreads, ravishing details, and an essay exploring his outstanding ability to transform oil paint into life.

His works have prompted a New York Times bestseller; a film starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth; record visitor numbers at art institutions from Amsterdam to Washington, DC; and special crowd-control measures at the Mauritshuis, The Hague, where thousands flock to catch a glimpse of the enigmatic and enchanting Girl with a Pearl Earring, also known as the “Dutch Mona Lisa”.

In his lifetime, however, the fame of Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) barely extended beyond his native Delft and a small circle of patrons. After his death, his name was largely forgotten, except by a few Dutch art collectors and dealers. Outside of Holland, his works were even misattributed to other artists. It was not until the mid-19th century that Vermeer came to the attention of the international art world, which suddenly looked upon his narrative minutiae, meticulous textural details, and majestic planes of light, spotted a genius, and never looked back.

This edition features the complete catalog of Vermeer’s work, presenting the calm yet compelling scenes so treasured in galleries across Europe and the United States in one monograph of utmost reproduction quality. Crisp details and essays tracing Vermeer’s career illuminate his remarkable ability not only to bear witness to the trends and trimmings of the Dutch Golden Age but also to encapsulate an entire story in just one transient gesture, expression, or look.

The Author:

After completing his studies of art history and archaeology at the University of Vienna, Karl Schütz joined the staff of the Gemäldegalerie of the city’s Kunsthistorisches Museum, serving from 1972 as a curator and from 1990 to 2011 as its director. His particular scholarly interests include Netherlandish and Flemish painting, early-16th-century German painting, courtly portraiture, and the history of the Gemäldegalerie collection.

Startling Life. The astonishing oeuvre of Johannes Vermeer

Just 35 works make up the complete known oeuvre of Johannes Vermeer but in their combination of mimesis and mystery, they have secured his place as one of the most admired artists in history. This jumbo-sized monograph presents his astonishing catalogue with numerous spreads, ravishing details, and an essay exploring his outstanding ability to transform oil paint into life.

This book brings together the complete catalogue of Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675), presenting the calm yet compelling scenes so treasured in galleries across Europe and the United States into one monograph of utmost reproduction quality. With new photography of many works, Vermeer’s restrained but richly evocative repertoire of domestic actions — ranging from letter writing to music-making to preparations in the kitchen — unfolds in generous format. Numerous details emphasize the artist’s remarkable ability not only to bear witness to the trends and trimmings of the Dutch Golden Age but also to encapsulate an entire story in just one transient gesture, expression, or look.

In his lifetime, Vermeer’s fame barely extended beyond his native Delft and a small circle of patrons. After his death, his name was largely forgotten, with works outside of Holland even misattributed to other artists. It was not until the mid-19th century that Vermeer came to the attention of the international art world, which suddenly looked upon his narrative minutiae, meticulous textural detail, and majestic planes of light, and spotted a forgotten master.

Today, Vermeer’s works have inspired a New York Times bestseller and a film starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth not to mention record visitor numbers at art institutions from Amsterdam to Washington, DC; and special crowd-control measures at the Mauritshuis, The Hague, where thousands flock to catch a glimpse of the enigmatic and enchanting Girl with a Pearl Earring, also known as the “Dutch Mona Lisa.”

The author

After completing his studies of art history and archaeology at the University of Vienna, Karl Schütz joined the staff of the Gemäldegalerie of the city’s Kunsthistorisches Museum, serving from 1972 as a curator and from 1990 to 2011 as its director. His particular scholarly interests include Netherlandish and Flemish painting, early-16th-century German painting, courtly portraiture, and the history of the Gemäldegalerie collection.

Surfaces and secrets. A spellbinding realism and intrigue

Though numbering just 35 known works, the œuvre of Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) is hailed as one of the most important and inspiring portfolios in art history. His paintings have prompted a New York Times bestseller, a film starring Scarlett Johansson, and record visitor numbers at art institutions from Amsterdam to Washington.

Vermeer’s subjects focus on daily domestic activities, from letter writing to music playing to preparations in the kitchen. The scenes astound with their meticulous detail, majestic planes of light, and with Vermeer’s extraordinary ability to draw out narrative intrigues. In such beloved paintings as Lady Standing at a Virginal, A Lady Writing a Letter with Her Maid and, most famously, the enigmatic, wide-eyed, and enchanting Girl with a Pearl Earring, Vermeer evokes not only the effects of substance and texture but also the many stories and secrets that reside beneath the surface.

Featuring all Vermeer’s known works and succinct, accessible texts, this essential introduction explores Vermeer’s leading place in art history and his unique ability to transform oil paint into a living, breathing scene of human life.

About the Series:

Every book in TASCHEN's Basic Art Serie

- a detailed chronological summary of the artist's life and work, covering the cultural and historical importance of the artist
- approximately 100 colour illustrations with explanatory captions
- a concise biography

Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) has been one of the most widely admired European painters since his so-called rediscovery in the second half of the nineteenth century.

Until quite recently, the Romantic roots of writing on the Sphinx of Delft have encouraged the image of him as an isolated genius; the artists private life and religion, his supposed use of a camera obscura, and the fact that his teacher has not been identified have all contributed to an air of mystery. As this new monograph demonstrates, Vermeers life is actually well documented and his work may be more appropriately understood by placing the painter in the context of the Delft school as a whole and of Delft society.

The fact that one local patron acquired about twenty pictures by the artist (only thirty-six are known today) must have been significant for Vermeers subtleties of meaning and refinements of technique and style. In the end, however, the most historical approach to Vermeer still leaves us with a master whose rare sensibility and extraordinary powers of observation may be described but not explained.

This generously illustrated volume on the work of Vermeer makes the world’s greatest art accessible to readers of every level of appreciation. A 17th-century Dutch painter who lived his entire life in Delft, Vermeer is renowned for his masterly use of light. Only a very small number of Vermeer’s paintings are known to exist. Overflowing with impeccably reproduced images, this book offers full-page spreads of masterpieces as well as highlights of smaller details — allowing the viewer to appreciate every aspect of the artist’s technique and oeuvre.

Jan Vermeer's mysterious and poetic paintings - with their luminous power and their simple, studied, everyday scenes - continue to fascinate us. This volume reproduces all of Vermeer's known works, including Saint Praxedis, which had only recently been validated by scholars as an important early work of the artist at the time of the book's original publication.

Vermeer's women, their duties and unspoken dreams

The 35 paintings that have come down to us from the hand of Jan Vermeer (1632-1675) place him beside Rembrandt and Frans Hals as one of the great masters of the golden age of Dutch art.

Little is known of Vermeer's early life and training, though we can be certain that he never knew great success or acclaim during his lifetime, and after his death - reputedly in part because of the stress of his debts - his work was almost completely forgotten for the best part of two centuries. And yet today he is acknowledged as an exquisitely talented and highly original artist. Most of his pictures (all of which are reproduced in this book) show middle-class women about their daily business. Vermeer records the tasks and duties of these women, the imperatives of virtue under which their lives were lived, while also evoking their dreams and their contrasting inner worlds.

About the Series:

Every book in TASCHEN's Basic Art Series features:

* a detailed chronological summary of the artist's life and work, covering the cultural and historical importance of the artist
* approximately 100 color illustrations with explanatory captions
* a concise biography

Книга о голландском художнике, мастере жанровых картин Вермере Делфтском (1632–1675).

Известно 36 картин Вермера; поначалу это были исторические сцены в венецианском стиле. Вероятно, Вермер мало писал для художественного рынка: большей частью он создавал свои произведения для покровителей и меценатов, особо ценивших его искусство. За исключением нескольких религиозных картин и заказных портретов, искусство Вермера запечатлевало бюргерскую среду.

Эффект его живописи достигается свободой выражения, колоритом и мастерством передачи атмосферы, света, воздуха. В полотнах Вермера все определяется моделировкой света; персонажи, кажется, всецело поглощены своими занятиями.

Известно лишь несколько фрагментов из его биографии. Книга состоит из десяти глав, рассказывающих обо всем, что известно о жизни художника и об истории написания каждой его картины. В конце книги приводится хронология жизни и творчества мастера.