European Art

Centuries before the European Union became a political reality, Europe was a union of artists. This book is a voyage through time. It takes the pilgrimage route to Compostela, dotted with chapels and monasteries. It follows Thomas Aquinas, who studied in Naples and Cologne before teaching in Paris in the days when cathedral spires soared toward heaven. It takes us to Rotterdam with Erasmus to study Greek in Italy and teach in Cambridge. It joins VĂŠlazquez in Venice, examining paintings by Titian and Tintoretto on the advice of Rubens. It meets Liszt, the Hungarian pianist, in the Parisian salons where he encounters Chopin, Paganini, Heine, Mickiewicz and Berlioz. Art in Europe: From the Vandals to the Avant-Garde book explores how art molded a European awareness through the centuries. It also serves as a guide. For the first time, a book lists the 300 most important museums, with their addresses and descriptions of their collections.