The recent exhibitions dedicated to Botticelli around the world show, more than ever, the significant and continued debate about the artist. Botticelli Past and Present engages with this debate. The book comprises four thematic parts, spanning four centuries of Botticelli’s artistic fame and reception from the fifteenth century. Each part comprises a number of essays and includes a short introduction which positions them within the wider scholarly literature on Botticelli. The parts are organised chronologically beginning with discussion of the artist and his working practice in his own time, moving onto the progressive rediscovery of his work from the late eighteenth to the turn of the twentieth century, through to his enduring impact on contemporary art and design. Expertly written by researchers and eminent art historians and richly illustrated throughout, the broad range of essays in this book make a valuable contribution to Botticelli studies.

Examines the life and work of the Italian painter of the early Renaissance, describing and giving examples of his art.

This publication provides the reader with impressive insight into Botticelli's important contributions to Florentine art, and also traces the ideals of feminine beauty, embodied not only by his enchanting goddesses and Madonnas, but also in the idealized portrait of an unknown lady.

Florence's golden child: The Early Renaissance master During Sandro Botticelli's lifetime (1444/45-1510), the influence of his art scarcely reached beyond his native Florence, and following his death he was soon forgotten, to be rediscovered only in the 19th century by the Pre-Raphaelites. Since then, Botticelli has ranked among the greatest of the Renaissance artists. In the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, paintings such as"Primavera" and "The Birth of Venus" are among the foremost attractions for tourists and art lovers. Botticelli's captivating figures of women, his intimate portrayals of the Madonna and Child, and the angelic beauty of his adolescents are famous the world over today. The artist's life and work are explored in this thoughtful and beautifully illustrated study.About the Series: Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Art Series features: a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance a concise biography approximately 100 colour illustrations with explanatory captions

"Perhaps more than any other painter, Sandro Botticelli (about 1445-1510) exemplifies the artistic achievement of Renaissance Florence in the 15th century. "Botticelli and the Search for the Divine," organized by the Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William & Mary and Italy's Metamorfosi Associazione Culturale, explores the dramatic changes in the artist's style and subject matter--from poetic depictions of classical gods and goddesses to austere sacred themes--reflecting the shifting political and religious climate of Florence during his lifetime."--Exhibition website.