Godwit/Random House NZ 2010

A sumptuous hardback, Angels & Aristocrats celebrates the past, present and future of these collections, while exploring the stories behind these works of art. Each of the 400 pages of Angels & Aristocrats is meticulously researched, written and lavishly illustrated. The book begins by giving a brief overview of the inherent struggles in setting up public collections from both an institutional and individual viewpoint. None of these would exist today without the generosity and foresight of individual benefactors who gave, and continue to give, works of art to our public institutions. Chapters are organised into four major themes: the function of religious images; landscape; genre and still life; and finally, portraiture. It concludes with brief statements by a number of contemporary New Zealand artists who themselves have gained inspiration from European works in our 'national collection'. Those artworks not discussed in the four main chapters are illustrated in a section titled 'Further Works'...