The Frick’s Center for the History of Collecting announces a new book series with the publication of its first volume, Holland’s Golden Age in America: Collecting the Art of Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Hals. The book is co-published with the Pennsylvania State University Press.

Americans have long had an interest in the art and culture of Holland’s Golden Age. As a result, the United States can boast extraordinary holdings of Dutch paintings. Celebrated masters such as Rembrandt, Johannes Vermeer, and Frans Hals are exceptionally well represented in museums and private collections, but many fine paintings by their contemporaries can be found here as well. Says Esmée Quodbach, Assistent Director of the Center: “the exceptionally enthusiastic response the Center received for its symposium on the history of Dutch paintings in America, both from professionals in the field and the general public, made it clear that there is an interest in the art of the Golden Age Holland that has not waned since its halcyon days a century ago. A volume of essays dedicated to the American taste for Dutch painting seemed a logical next step.”

American appreciation

In addition to Quodbach, contributions by Ronni Baer, Quentin Buvelot, Lloyd DeWitt, Peter Hecht, Lance Humphries, Walter Liedtke, Louisa Wood Ruby, Catherine B. Scallen, Annette Stott, Peter C. Sutton, Dennis P. Weller, Arthur K. Wheelock, Jr., and Anne T. Woollett explain in lively detail why and how American collectors as well as as museums turned to the Dutch masters to enrich their collections. They examine the role played by Dutch settlers in colonial America and their descendants, the evolution of the American appreciation of the Dutch school, the circumstances that led to the Dutch school swiftly becoming one of the most coveted national schools of painting, and, finally, the market for Dutch pictures today. Richly illustrated, this volume is an invaluable contribution to the scholarship on the collecting history of Dutch art in America, and it is certain to inspire further research.

Holland’s Golden Age in America, Collecting the Art of Rembrandt, Vermeer and Hals is available at the Museum Shop of the Frick, on the institution’s website, and by phone 212.547.6848.