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New publication Der Genter Altar/The Ghent Altarpiece

The Ghent Altarpiece, produced by the Van Eyck brothers and completed in 1432, is the magnum opus of painting from the Burgundian Netherlands. Since its completion the Ghent Altarpiece has received a great deal of attention. It was an example for other painters; was highly praised by writers and even was copied at full size. The piece has known a turbulent history, surviving the Iconoclasm and various wars. In this publication the contributions during the symposium Der Genter Altar-Reprodutionen, Deutungen, Forschungskontroversen (Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, 2015) are collected. International experts discuss the history and the reception of the work. Main topics are the copy that Michiel Coxcie (1499-1592) painted in the sixteenth century, early photographic reproductions, the presentation of some panels in the Gemäldgalerie in Berlin around 1900 and its history during the height of National Socialism. The controversy around the quatrain on the frame is also discussed along with the associated role of Hubert van Eyck.

Der Genter Altar/The Ghent Altarpiece. Reproduktionen, Deutungen, Forschungskontroversen/Reproductions, Interpretations, Scholarly Debates

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(News item October 27, 2017)