Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection: Catalogue Raisonne of the Exhibited Works of Art

This handbook supersedes that published in 1981 and takes into account acquisitions of new works and disposals of lesser works by Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza, HH,1921-2002. The works shown are normally to be found in the gallery built by the Baron's father, Baron Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemizsa, 1875-1947, alongside the Villa Favorita in Lugano-Castagnola. However, as the Foreword points out, works from the holding are increasingly being included in cultural exchanges and exhibitions, so there is always a possibility that individual works will be on display elsewhere and not in the Lugano gallery.Almost 700 works are reproduced in colour complemented by brief biographical information on the artist and a short comment on the work in question. The entries are by Gertrude Borghero, translated by Paul Blanchard. Other art objects in the collection, sculptures, furniture, carpets, tapestries and items of gold and silver, are listed by Maria de Peverelli.This Catalogue Raisonné is intended to be a source of information to visitors to the gallery and is not primarily directed towards art scholars. The wealth of the Thyssen-Bornemizsa family has undoubtedly enabled the works to be illustrated in colour and to be presented in a size that facilitates inspection.HH gives a description of the collection built up by his father whose interests lay in works by Old Masters from 1400 [van Eyck] to 1800 [Goya], with a specific focus on old German portraiture and painting. The collection was begun in the 1920s with the advice and guidance of experts and, following the first exhibition of the collection in Munich in 1930, the Baron's father significantly extended his collection which was housed in the recently-purchased the 17th century Villa Favorita, the grounds of which slope down to the banks of Lake Lugano.The works are presented in alphabetic order of the artist, from Albrecht Altdorfer, the undated "Portrait of a Woman", to Francisco de Zurbaran, the undated "Saint Casilda". The work illustrated on the front cover is "Portrait of Giovanna Tournabuoni" by Ghirlandaio, 1488, just 2 years before the sitter died in childbirth. In this manner, the period of a painting, its style and nature, portrait, genre or historical work, still life are all mixed up which adds pleasure to leafing through the book. The younger Holbein's undated portraits of "King Henry VIII of England" and "Thomas Cromwell", now probably better known than ever before due to the Booker Prize-winning novels of Hilary Mantel are accompanied by portraits by his father of an anonymous man and woman. I am not a great admirer of El Greco but here, amongst a group of 6 works, is a small and intensely expressive "Mater Dolorosa", c. 1585.Bramante's "Ecco Homo" shows Christ painted in grisaille, almost a metallic sculpture, which accentuates its mystery. Jan Steen's "Self-portrait with Lute", shows the artist laughing as he sits, dressed in finery playing his lute. Rembrandt's "Self Portrait", c. 1643, was painted just after the death of his wife, Saskia whilst Raphael's "Portrait of a Young Man", suggested to portray the illegitimate Alessandro de' Medici, reveals a rather innocent face somewhat unsuited to life at court. The cold, cloudy sky in Aert van der Neer's "Winter Landscape with Ice Sports", might have been painted by an Impressionist brush. One of the few women artists in the collection, Louise Moillon, painted "Still Life (Fruit and Vegetables)" in 1637, with a rather austere portrayal of the asparagus and artichokes balancing berries, plums and apricots. A much more relaxed working is presented by Pieter Claesz in his "Still Life with Beer Mug, Pipe and Playing Cards", 1636, all much more manly items.Antoine Le Nain's "Children Singing and Fiddling", c. 1640, shows the kind of troop that still come round just before Bonfire Night, whilst Jacob Jordaens' "Holy Family with an Angel", c. 1620, presents his son as Jesus and his wife as Mary. The red and blue colours of Jesus' garments in Guercino's "Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the Well" look as if the paint was applied just a few decades ago rather than in 1640 or 1641. The face in the "Portrait of a Scholar", attributed to Correggio, stares out of the dark canvas in a manner that reminded me of portraits by Thomas Eakins.The outbreak of war in 1939 put a temporary end to the collecting and more than half of the works was bequeathed to HH. He inherited in these works in 1947 and, after buying up the pictures bequeathed to his brothers, HH reopened the gallery in 1949 with the acquisition of Old Masters continuing. However, HH's tastes are more for 19th and 20th works, especially those of the German Expressionists, and these are shown in other publications of the Collection.I am still in two minds about the usefulness and relevance of catalogues like this in the internet era. However, there are presumably still one or two people who, like me, prefer to turn pages when I read. My rating is targeted at them.

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Catalogue Raisonne of the Exhibited Works of Art of Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza in Lugano. A revised and updated version of the guidebook published in 1981. This volume is fully illustrated in colour with some information about each work. It includes the Old Master paintings normally hung in the gallery next to the Villa Favorita in Lugano-Castagnola. Text has been translated into English by Paul Blanchard.