French painting

Leningrad's Hermitage collection of French art from the mid-nineteenth to the early twentieth century is one of the best in the world. It consists of more than 300 paintings, many of which rate among the world's finest. Preserved here are eight pictures by Claude Monet, six by Auguste Renoir, eleven by Paul Cezanne, fifteen by Paul Gauguin, thirty-eight by Pablo Picasso, and thirty-seven by Henri Matisse. This beautiful volume offers a complete publication of the uniąue collection from the Hermitage, with full-colour reproductions and close-ups of many details. The reproductions are of a high quality and give the viewer the impression that he is seeing the original works. The Introduction is dedicated to the history and distinguishing features of the collection. Short notes accompanying each reproduction inform the reader of the picture's size, provenance and techniąue.