The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Masterpiece Paintings

By Kathryn Calley Galitz
Foreword by Thomas P. Campbell

This monumental book celebrates the greatest and most iconic paintings in The Met collection. Its broad sweep of material makes it at once a universal history of painting and the ideal introduction to the beloved masterworks of this world-renowned institution.

Lavish color illustrations and details of 500 masterpieces, created over 5,000 years by cultures across the globe, are presented chronologically, from the dawn of civilization to the present. These works represent a grand tour of painting: from ancient Egypt and classical antiquity to prized Byzantine and medieval altarpieces; from works from Asia, India, Africa, and the Americas to the greatest European and North American masters.

This unprecedented book includes an introduction and illuminating texts about each artwork. European and American artists include Duccio, El Greco, Raphael, Titian, Botticelli, Bronzino, Caravaggio, Turner, Velázquez, Goya, Rubens, Rembrandt, Brueghel, Vermeer, David, Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne, Degas, Sargent, Homer, Matisse, Picasso, Pollock, and Warhol. For those wishing to experience the unparalleled collection of The Met, or to study masterpieces of painting from throughout history, this important volume is sure to become a classic work cherished by art lovers.