Mit dem Erwerb des gesamten altdeutschen Gemäldebestandes der ehemals Fürstlich Fürstenbergischen Sammlungen Donaueschingen, einer der bedeutendsten und erlesensten privaten Sammlungen spätmittelalterlicher Kunst, hat die Sammlung Würth einen neuen Schwerpunkt erhalten. Neben bekannten Meistern der oberrheinischen Malerei des 15. und 16. Jahrhunderts, darunter Hans Holbein d. Ä., dem Meister von Meßkirch, Lucas Cranach d. Ä und d. J., Bernhard Striegel oder Hans Schäufelin gehören auch weniger bekannte Künstler, die in ihrer Kunstfertigkeit und Bedeutung den prominenten Künstlern jedoch keinesfalls nachstehen, dem Gemäldekonvolut an. Es ist die Epoche des religiösen und kulturellen Umbruchs, in der neben frommen Beweggründen die Konkurrenz zwischen verschiedenen Familien und Gruppen der Städte zu einer Vielzahl von Kunstaufträgen führten. Das historische Umfeld im Hinblick auf die Folgen zu beleuchten, die sich an der Umgestaltung überlieferter Themen ablesen lassen ist ebenso Teil der vorliegenden Publikation, wie die bislang umfassendste ikonographische Sichtung der Malerei, die es sich zur Aufgabe gemacht hat, die Inhalte der Darstellungen und deren Bedeutung nachvollziehbar werden zu lassen. Für dieses Unterfangen konnten mit Dietmar Lüdke und Kurt Löcher zwei der besten Kenner spätmittelalterlicher deutscher Malerei und Malerei der frühen Neuzeit gewonnen werden. Zusätzliche Beiträge von Christoph Graf Douglas zur Genese der Sammlung sowie von Beate Elsen-Schwedler zum kulturhistorischen Hintergrund dieses beutenden Abschnitts europäischer Geschichte runden den Band ab.

Paintings by Renaissance masters Lucas Cranach the Elder, Albrecht Durer, and Hans Holbein the Younger are among the works featured in this lavish volume, the first to comprehensively study the largest collection of early German paintings in America. These works, created in the 14th through 16th centuries in the region that comprises present-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, include religious images - such as "Virgin and Child with Saint Anne" by Durer and the double-sided altarpiece "The Dormition of the Virgin" by Hans Schaufelein - as well as remarkable portraits by Holbein and the iconic "Judgment of Paris" by Cranach. In all, more than 70 works are thoroughly discussed and analyzed, making this volume an incomparable resource for the study of this rich artistic period.

Four artists from Germany, known globally, who have each attained a level of fame that is unique in the history of German art. Their renown was cemented by their early work of the 1960s--that decade of reaction and rebellion, of confrontation and upheaval, of utopias and a new social compass. In conversations with Gotz Adriani, the artists talk frankly about their work during this time when German society, East and West, may have got over the Nazi regime and the worst of the devastation of the war, but not the cultural and intellectual roots of Germany's fascist past. The book offers a fresh and comprehensive look at the early works of Baselitz, Richter, Polke, and Kiefer, at how each one variously tackled the aesthetic dominance of abstract art and the unique social and political environment of their newly founded country, the Federal Republic of Germany.

With more than 1,100 entries written by an international group of over 150 contributors, the Encyclopedia of Contemporary German Culture brings together myriad strands of social, political and cultural life in the post-1945 German-speaking world. With a unique structure and format, an inclusive treatment of the concept of culture, and coverage of East, West and post-unification Germany, as well as Austria and Switzerland, the Encyclopedia of Contemporary German Culture is the first reference work of its kind. Containing longer overviews of up to 2,000 words, as well as shorter factual entries, cross-referencing to other relevant articles, useful further reading suggestions and extensive indexing, this highly useable volume provides the scholar, teacher, student or non-specialist with an astonishing breadth and depth of information.

Cultural heritage is a complex and elusive concept, constantly evolving through time, and combining cultural, aesthetic, symbolic, spiritual, historical and economic values. The Handbook on the Economics of Cultural Heritage outlines the contribution of economics to the design and analysis of cultural heritage policies and to addressing issues related to the conservation, management and enhancement of heritage. The Handbook takes a multidisciplinary approach, using cultural economics as a theoretical framework to illustrate how crucial and stimulating cross-disciplinary dialogue actually is. Contributors scrutinise the co-existence of cultural and economic values as well as the new challenges that arise from changes brought about by technology, and relationships between the different actors engaged in the production, distribution and consumption of heritage services. The roles of public, private and non-profit organizations are also explored. Case studies underpin the discussion, demonstrating the clear and vital link between theory and practice. This highly unique Handbook will prove a fascinating and informative read for academics, researchers, students and policymakers with an interest in cultural economics.