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Publication : “The Empress of Art : Catherine the Great and the Transformation of Russia”.

JAQUES Susan, The Empress of Art : Catherine the Great and the Transformation of Russia, New York, Pegasus Books, 2016, 384 p.

JAQUES Susan, The Empress of Art : Catherine the Great and the Transformation of Russia, New York, Pegasus Books, 2016, 384 p.

Présentation de l’éditeur :

Ruthless and passionate, Catherine the Great is singularly responsible for amassing one of the most awe-inspiring collections of art in the world and turning St. Petersburg in to a world wonder. The Empress of Art brings to life the creation of this captivating woman’s greatest legacy.

An art-oriented biography of the mighty Catherine the Great, who rose from seemingly innocuous beginnings to become one of the most powerful people in the world. A German princess who married a decadent and lazy Russian prince, Catherine mobilized support amongst the Russian nobles, playing off of her husband’s increasing corruption and abuse of power. She then staged a coup that ended with him being strangled with his own scarf in the halls of the palace, and she being crowned the Empress of Russia.

Intelligent and determined, Catherine modeled herself off of her grandfather in-law, Peter the Great, and sought to further modernize and westernize Russia. She believed that the best way to do this was through a ravenous acquisition of art, which Catherine often used as a form of diplomacy with other powers throughout Europe. She was a self-proclaimed “glutton for art” and she would be responsible for the creation of the Hermitage, one of the largest museums in the world, second only to the Louvre. Catherine also spearheaded the further expansion of St. Petersburg, and the magnificent architectural wonder the city became is largely her doing. There are few women in history more fascinating than Catherine the Great, and for the first time, Susan Jaques brings her to life through the prism of art.

Pour en savoir plus, rendez-vous sur le site de l’éditeur.


OpenEdition vous propose de citer ce billet de la manière suivante :
Maxime Georges Métraux (10 mars 2016). Publication : “The Empress of Art : Catherine the Great and the Transformation of Russia”. Groupe de Recherche en Histoire de l'Art Moderne. Consulté le 12 novembre 2024 à l’adresse https://doi.org/10.58079/p61z


Maxime Georges Métraux

Doctorant en Histoire de l'art moderne (Université Paris IV –Sorbonne, Centre André Chastel – UMR 8150). Expert pour la galerie Hubert Duchemin et chargé d’enseignement à l'Université Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée. Commissaire scientifique de l’exposition "Chic Emprise : Cultures, usages et sociabilités du tabac du XVIe au XVIIIe siècle" (22 juin - 23 septembre 2019) au musée du Nouveau Monde de La Rochelle.

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