Volume 47, Number 3 · February 24, 2000
On Francis Haskell (1928–2000)
By Charles Hope
Francis Haskell, who died on January 18 at the age of seventy-one, was one of the most important art historians of his time. He developed new ways of approaching the subject, and in doing so profoundly influenced the way in which we think about the art of the past. Throughout his career he avoided the most common and, until then, the most prestigious forms of art history, the study of the careers of individual artists and the exercise of connoisseurship. Instead, in his first and most famous book, Patrons and Painters, published in 1963, he explored the conditions in which Italian art was produced, from papal Rome in the early seventeenth century to Venice in the eighteenth, examining the motives of patrons and collectors, the changes in taste, and the growth of the art market. A masterpiece of social history and unprecedented in its range and scholarship, it provided a new perspective on two centuries of Italian art.
Feature, 629 words
To read the full text of this piece, please choose one of the following options:
|
If you are already a subscriber to the Review's electronic edition, please sign in: |
To subscribe to the electronic edition, please press the button below. |
To purchase access to this article for $3, please press the button below. |