Van Tilborgh, Louis & others. Japanese Prints: The Collection of Vincent van Gogh. Thames & Hudson. Jan. 2019. 224p. illus. notes. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780500239896. $45. FINE ARTS
Art expert van Tilborgh (art history, Univ. of Amsterdam; On the Verge of Insanity: Van Gogh and His Illness), with contributors Chris Uhlenbeck (Van Gogh & Japan) and Shigeru Oikawa (Japan Women’s Univ.; A Japanese Menagerie: Animal Pictures by Kawanabe Kyosai), examine Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh’s life, work, and collection of Japanese woodblock and crepe prints, as well as the traditional Japanese printmaking technique. Van Gogh’s love of Japanese prints began in 1886 while living in Paris with his brother, Theo. He purchased about 660 prints, of which the remaining 560 or so are housed at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. The extensive images (mostly in color) of Japanese people (warriors, Kabuki actors, and geisha) and landscapes reveal van Gogh’s passion for the country and its art. This volume provides insight, analysis, and appreciation for van Gogh, his collection of Japanese prints, and Japanese art. VERDICT Art students, scholars, and anyone with a general interest in art and art history will enjoy this informative volume.—Tina Chan, MIT Libs., Cambridge

Vincent van Gogh: His Life in Art. Yale Univ. Apr. 2019. 172p. ed. by David Bomford. illus. notes. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780300243260. pap. $45. FINE ARTS
This exhibition catalog, edited by former Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, curator Bomford, traces the life and work of Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (1853–90). An excellent essay by Van Gogh Museum senior curator Nienke Bakker chronicles the artist’s short but productive life, from his earliest days of drawings through his landscapes, peasant portraits, and finally, the explosive work of his last years in Arles, France. In tribute to the two major Dutch museums that contributed the bulk of the works on exhibition, there are remarkable tales of the creation of the Van Gogh Museum, an act of family responsibility and admiration as well as the story of building the Kröller-Müller collection, a tribute to the fine eye and enthusiasm of the couple for whom the collection is named. The volume contains more than 100 excellent color plates accompanied by long descriptive essays and reference notes, assembling an outstanding group of specialists who offer new insights into major collections. VERDICT This book makes accessible artworks that are not readily available to many. The insider view of the world of collectors and collections is also an added benefit.—Paula Frosch, Metropolitan Museum of Art Lib., New York