The German Surprise

Few people would question the assumption that the history of art in the nineteenth century is pretty much the history of French art, and that, with few exceptions like Constable and Turner in England or Goya in Spain, no other country produced anything that mattered. American museums have long operated on this premise, with English painting hardly represented in their collections, and no German painting at all.

Now, however, the Metropolitan Museum is attempting to redress the balance with a major show, German Masters of the Nineteenth Century. It’s a real novelty because, except for a smaller traveling display organized by Yale University in 1970, it is the first time since 1935 that German art has really been seen here. Unfortunately, though the selection is broad, there are many important omissions, with some minor figures emphasized at the expense of others equally or sometimes more significant. Still, there are enough masterpieces to make a visit a rewarding experience.

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Ruth Berenson

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Few people would question the assumption that the history of art in the nineteenth century is pretty much the history of French art, and that, with few exceptions like Constable and Turner in England or Goya in Spain, no other country produced anything that mattered. American museums have long operated on this premise, with English painting hardly represented in their collections, and no German painting at all.

Now, however, the Metropolitan Museum is attempting to redress the balance with a major show, German Masters of the Nineteenth Century. It’s a real novelty because, except for a smaller traveling display organized by Yale University in 1970, it is the first time since 1935 that German art has really been seen here. Unfortunately, though the selection is broad, there are many important omissions, with some minor figures emphasized at the expense of others equally or sometimes more significant. Still, there are enough masterpieces to make a visit a rewarding experience.