DIRECTORS CHOICE - Böcker

Fascinating illustrated survey of England's churches in all their variety -- one from every diocese in the country. For centuries church buildings have defined the English landscape and acted as landmarks by land and sea. First and foremost places of worship and mission, they have often been used by the wider community, preserving local stories. But they have also been integral to the country’s history, telling the story of Christianity in England as well as marking significant events from our past. The churches featured in this beautifully illustrated volume have been drawn from each of the Church of England's 42 dioceses to showcase their varied architecture, art and uses. They are all extraordinary buildings and many of them contain exceptional treasures. This book pays tribute not only to the exquisite architectural and artistic heritage of our nation, but also to the remarkable unsung heroes of our church buildings: the clergy and the many volunteers who keep them open and sustainable. We hope it will encourage many more to visit, enjoy and support the Church of England’s unique heritage of nearly 16,000 church buildings.

The Hugh Lane Galley, Dublin's city art gallery, is situated in the heart of the city. It was established in1908 by the art collector and dealer Hugh Lane and is the oldest publicmodern art gallery in the world in continuous existence. Inspired by the Irish Literary Revival, the establishment of the gallery is acknowledged as one of the most significant cultural events in the birthof Modern Ireland. With works ranging from the mid-19th century to the contemporary, this remarkable public collection, created in a unique spirit of philanthropy, is one of Ireland's foremost cultural institutions.This selection of highlights, lucidly chosen by Director Barbara Dawson, takes a personal journey through the fascinating collection; from early works presented by Hugh Lane and his supporters through to contemporary practice.

The Fryderyk Chopin Museum holds the world's largest Chopin collection, featuring the composer's last piano, many of his musical manuscripts, and letters, portraits and other objects that together provide a unique insight into his life, music and creative process.The history of the Chopin Museum dates back to 1934, and today it functions under the aegis of the Chopin Institute, set up by parliament in 2001 to safeguard and disseminate the Chopin heritage. The Institute organises concerts and piano competitions, including the International Chopin Competition, and pursues scholarly, educational, publishing and phonographic work.The selection of objects presented in this book is complemented by recordings of Chopin's music, all made on period instruments. Although the objects relate to the composer's biography in a fragmentary way, the selection is designed to enable readers to gain a fuller picture of his music and his character.

Formerly the official residences of the Tsars, the five buildings that comprise the State Hermitage Museum now house one of the finest art collections in the world. The collection is as vast and rich as its surroundings - ranging from prehistoric artefacts to post-Impressionist masterpieces. Here, renowned Director Mikhail Piotrovsky brings his unique insight and expertise to bear on the collection, presenting us with his highlights from the Museum's extensive holdings. Here you will find masterpieces from the Italian Renaissance, the Dutch Golden Age and the Flemish Baroque, as well as Impressionist, Fauvist and Expressionist collections. The artists on display range from Michelangelo to Matisse via Velazquez, Van Gogh, Rubens and Renoir. Beautifully illustrated, this guide succeeds in condensing the Museum's array of treasures and making them accessible to all.

The Frans Hals Museum has attracted interest since it opened in 1913. Its collection of Haarlem Old Masters of the Golden Age, including the world's largest collection of paintings by Frans Hals, is unique. The collection reflects the radical changes that painting underwent in the early seventeenth century, with Haarlem providing fertile soil for a new expression of art to flourish. In the same way De Hallen Haarlem provides a platform for innovations in modern and contemporary art, positioning itself unequivocally as the champion of a living culture.In early 2018 the Frans Hals Museum and De Hallen Haarlem, which already operate as a single organisation behind the scenes, will become one museum under the name Frans Hals Museum. Each location will offer a new and distinctive programme of exhibitions in which traditional and contemporary art are shown side by side.The latest title in Scala's Director's Choice series celebrates the coming together of these two art institutions, with a selection of works which speak personally to the Director and reflect the synergy between the two collections.

As the first 'Founder's Choice' to join Scala's popular 'Director's Choice' series, this stunning book highlights the favourite items of design and culture collected by museum founder Micky Wolfson. Rooted in the greatest century of growth and change humanity has ever known - 1850 to 1950 - The Wolfsonian traces the odyssey from agrarian to urban, colonial empires to Cold War superpowers, the first spike of the Transcontinental Railroad to the advent of television. Offering a unique and personal take on the museum's rich and and varied collection of cultural artifacts, this handy book offers both a guide to Wolfsonian highlights and a glimpse into the art of collecting.

The Museum of Photography in Krakow was created over 30 years ago and is the only public institution of its kind in Poland. The collection covers almost the entire history of photography, from its invention to contemporary times. It comprises almost 70,000 items, from positive prints, negatives and examples of fine art photographic techniques and systems, to darkroom and cinematic equipment. Journalistic, studio, artistic, documentary, technical and amateur photography - all of these genres are represented within the museum's diverse collection. Visitors can explore the work of celebrated photographers who have made great contributions to the development of Polish photography, as well as that of many lesser-known craft photographers and anonymous artists who used photography either as a means of individual expression, a work tool, or a method of documenting their personal history. Published to coincide with the completion of an ambitious renovation project, this book presents a selection of highlights drawn from the museum's diverse collection.

The Library of Trinity College Dublin dates back to the establishment of the College in 1592 and is the largest library in Ireland. Its extensive collection of journals, manuscripts, maps and music reflects over 400 years of academic development and amounts to over 6 million volumes. A Legal Deposit Library since 1801, it receives copies of all material published in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The most famous of its treasures is the Book of Kells, whose rich illuminations are one of the finest examples of medieval art. Together with the Book of Durrow, also in the collection, they represent Ireland's greatest cultural treasure. The Library also bears testament to more recent history, counting letters from Irish WWI soldiers and various artefacts from the Easter Rising - including a bullet fired through the Library roof - among its collection. This selection of objects highlights the diversity of the holdings and illuminates their fascinating history.

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao opened in October 1997 as part of a large-scale urban renovation project, and since then its popularity has flourished. The museum's striking twentieth century building, designed by Frank Gehry, and its one million annual visitors have cemented Bilbao's presence on the international cultural scene. It is from here that the contemporary art collection developed. As a coherent set of more than 130 works, it exhibits some of the most significant creations of the period from the mid-twentieth century up to the modern day. This guide takes the reader on a private tour of the remarkable collection through a selection of highlights, judiciously chosen by General Director Juan Ignacio Vidarte, and offers an engaging preface or echo to the thrill of experiencing the works first hand.

The Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst is housed in the Bode-Museum, part of the ensemble of prestigious museums on the Museuminsel Berlin. Skulpturensammlung is one of the largest collections of ancient sculpture in the world (early Middle Ages to the late eighteenth century), with works from the German-speaking countries, France, the Low Countries, Italy and Spain. The collection includes works by legendary sculptors such as Donatello, Tilman Riemenschneider, Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini and Andreas Schlüter.The Museum für Byzantinische Kunst is a collection of Late Antique sarcophagi and sculpture from the Eastern Roman Empire, and ivory carvings from post-pharaonic, early Byzantine Egypt.The works presented in this volume are amongst the most prized by the museum's director, who combines expertise with a refreshingly personal perspective to invite the reader to experience them through new eyes.

The Art Museum RIGA BOURSE is one of the five structures of the Latvian National Museum of Art, bringing together the collections of foreign art accumulated in Riga from the 18th to the early 20th century. The first of these is the Kunstkammer collection of medical doctor Nikolaus von Himsel (1729-1764), which was bequeathed to the city of Riga in the 18th century.The art-historical periods encompassed by the collections of the AMRB range from Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece to Western European art of the 1930s. The largest collections consist of 16th- to early 20th-century Western European painting and graphic arts, 18th- to early 20th-century Western European decorative applied arts and 16th- to 20th-century Asian art.The Art Museum RIGA BOURSE is located in Riga, in the centre of the Old Town, in the former building of the Riga bourse, which was built in the form of a Venetian palazzo in 1850-1855 and symbolises plenitude with its richly decorated facade as well as the materials used for interior finishing. It is the largest building designed by Baltic-German architect Harald Julius von Bosse (1812-1894) in Riga. From 2007 to 2011 the building underwent renovation and adaptation to the needs of the museum. The Art Museum RIGA BOURSE has been open to the public in its new premises since 2011. In 2013 the museum received a special commendation from the European Museum Forum for rebranding.

Cambridge University Botanic Garden is a unique 40-acre site housing a living collection of plants for research and teaching use by the University of Cambridge. Laid out in 1846 to demonstrate relationships between major plant groups, the Gardentoday is home to 8,000 species from all around the world, including 2,000 trees which provide year-round interest.In this guide the Director, Professor Beverley Glover, introduces the reader to some of the highlights in the Botanic Garden's collection. These include majestic trees and beautiful flowers, but also some rare and vulnerable species that might otherwise escape notice. She sets the scene for the Garden's foundation and history through its original map, and showcases some of its modern landscapes and horticultural set pieces. Throughout the guide she emphasises the enormous role that the Botanic Garden playsin modern scientific research, and explains some of the key breakthroughs of recent years.

The Royal Castle in Warsaw is one of the most important museums-residences in Poland. Its history and the provenance of its collections are extremely complex and symbolise the turbulent history of the country.The last king of Poland, Stanisław August, created a great collection of works of art and commissioned the interior design in a classicist style. With the loss of independence by Poland, works of art and furnishings were transported to Russia, then later returned under the Treaty of Riga in 1921. Looted by the Germans during World War II, the Castle was blown up in 1944. The castle finished being rebuilt in 1984 and today is a museum of interiors and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.The highlights of the Castle’s collections include paintings by Rembrandt and Canaletto as well as valuable objects of decorative arts and historical memorabilia, showcased in this latest Director’s Choice with the expertise of Director Wojciech Fałkowski.

The Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) opened in 1997, and has been in its present building by the Singapore River in the heart of the city since 2003. The museum traces its roots to the colonial-period Raffles Library and Museum, founded in the middle of the 19th century. ACM's satellite Peranakan Museum opened in 2008, and presents the art and culture of Southeast Asian mixed-heritage communities. ACM is a National Museum governed by Singapore's National Heritage Board. Singapore’s history as a port city that brought people together from all over the world is used here as a means of examining the history of Asia. The objects presented tell stories of the trade and the exchange of ideas that were the result of international commerce, as well as the flow of religions and faith through Asia. Director Kennie Ting has chosen his personal favourites from the collection, collaborating with ACM curators to provide readers with insightful descriptions of these masterpieces as well as a broad introduction to the museum.

The A. G. Leventis Gallery brings the grandeur of European art from the Renaissance to the 20th century, connecting the European continent with its south-eastern outpost by highlighting the unique relationship between art and its history.In this book, Director Loukia Hadjigavriel selects highlights from the Collection. From the outstanding paintings and objets d’art - Old Master paintings, Dutch still lifes, light-spirited Rococo pastorals, and boldly coloured pointillist and fauve canvases; through the Gold Collection, where gold coins from antiquity unfold the history of the rulers and artists who created them; and into the development of modern Greek art, as well as the first generation of Cypriot artists from the beginning of the 20th century.This wide variety of treasures all offer insight into the world of the man behind the collection, Anastasios G. Leventis – businessman, visionary, art collector and true ‘citizen of the world’.

The Benaki Museum was founded by Antonis Benakis, a visionary collector and cosmopolitan Greek patriot born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt. Since opening to the public in April 1931, the museum has grown into one of the most innovative cultural organisations in Europe, and today includes several branches: a museum dedicated to Greek culture from prehistory to the 1940s; a gallery on modernism in Greece; a museum of Islamic art; a 20th-century sculptor's studio; a collector's home; a museum of toys from around the world; a celebrated writer's seaside retreat; a passementerie factory; and an exhibitions centre. Across this network of venues all over Athens – and beyond – diverse cultures from all historical periods meet contemporary art movements, enabling 'the Benaki' to situate the Greek world within a global context.

The Peterhof State Museum-Reserve is one of the most visited and attractive museums in Russia, the "fountain capital" of a huge country. Uniting today more than 30 expositions located on the territory of Peterhof, Alexandria, Strelna and Oranienbaum, the museum acquaints its guests with the great past of Russia. The history of each Peterhof monument is deeply individual, but, being formed into single architectural ensembles, its are an organic synthesis of history, art, architecture, human destinies. The planning structure of Peterhof skillfully combines regular and landscape parks, palaces of different architectural styles, small forms and fountains. The famous water supply system, which has no analogues in the world, keeps the memory of its creator - emperor Peter the Great. The Peterhof collections, collected by the crowned owners of the residence to decorate it, consist of a variety of museum items. "There is a soul in every museum object," says Director Elena Kalnitskaya, and this is clear in each work of art presented in this book. Each object, tells its own story, but also invites the reader to better understand the history of Russia.

The Royal Łazienki in Warsaw was transformed in the 18th century into the summer residence of Stanisław August Poniatowski.Throughout his 30-year reign, Stanisław August, the last king of Poland, amassed a collection of paintings, sculptures, and prints, as well as coins and medals, made by both European and Polish artists. With time, the Royal Łazienki became the first modern museum in Poland open to the public.Today, the Royal Łazienki is known as ‘the most beautiful place in Warsaw’. Each year, the gardens are visited by more than 2 million people. The royal residence is also one of the most prestigious places in the capital city. It hosts many cultural events including the Chopin concerts, Festival of Baroque Opera, Zone of Silence Festival, Festival of Lights, Winter Musical Salons and Poetry Salons.

The Tyrolean State Museums, Innsbruck, Austria, hold a treasure-trove of over 5 million objects and offer an extensive, interdisciplinary program of exhibitions and events to introduce new audiences to the region and to explore the links between past and present.The core of the collection, the Ferdinandeum, is a sprawling art and culture complex that has continued to thrive since it was founded in 1823. Named after Archduke Ferdinand, it is the third oldest national Museum of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Inside, visitors can explore the Tyrol’s past, present and future through archeological, historical, scientific, cultural, music and art exhibits that help define the Tyrol’s place in the world.Thirty-seven significant objects were selected for this guide in order to highlight the wide range and complexity of the collections.Uncover the secrets of the Tyrolean at this world-class institution, which showcases the unique stories, events and characters that have helped shape the Tyrol’s history.

The Royal Pavilion and Museums Trust cares for five venues in Brighton and Hove, including the spectacular Royal Pavilion, a royal palace created by George IV as his summer retreat, designed in its final form by John Nash in a Moghul Indian style and set in landscaped picturesque gardens. The Trust’s other venues are Brighton Museum and Art Gallery that holds important local history and archaeology, world art, and decorative art collections; Preston Manor a large house preserved in the Edwardian style with a beautiful walled garden; The Booth Museum of natural history; and Hove Museum and Art Gallery. The Trust cares for around one million objects, many of international importance and covering a wide range of subjects and types. In this enjoyable and richly illustrated guide, Hedley Swain, the Trust’s CEO, shares highlights from The Trust’s vast collections.

The Museu Calouste Gulbenkian’s houses one of the world’s most important private art collections, comprising artworks assembled by Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian and ranging from Egyptian, Greco-Roman and Mesopotamian art to painting, sculpture and the decorative arts. In this addition to the successful Director’s Choice series, António Filipe Pimentel, who has been the Director of the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum since January 2021, showcases a range of spectacular pieces, summarising the Museum’s treasures in a beautifully illustrated guide.

The Swiss National Museum is Switzerland’s most frequently visited museum of cultural history. At its three sites in Zurich, Prangins and Schwyz, it presents Swiss identities from prehistory to the twenty-first century. At its Collection Centre, it preserves over 870,000 items and works of art as well as several million photographs for future generations.This new addition to Scala’s Director’s Choice series celebrates the museum’s 125th anniversary, showcasing stunning new photography of some of the museums’ finest objects, a selection that has been expertly compiled by Denise Tonella, the museum’s director.

"Curiously few people think of Britain’s cathedrals as being among our most impressive museums. This book should change that." — The TelegraphThe cathedrals of England and Wales are remarkable buildings. From the centuries leading up to the Norman Conquest to the tumults of the Reformation to the devastating wars of the 20th century, they carry traces of our nations’ darkest moments and most brilliant endeavours.This beautifully illustrated new volume tells the stories behind 50 remarkable artefacts – one for each cathedral – that have been preserved by the cathedrals of the Church of England and the Church in Wales.Featuring the Magna Carta of Salisbury Cathedral as well as the oldest book of English literature in the world, an Anglo-Saxon portable sundial, and Pre-Raphaelite glass, painting and embroidery, these local and national treasures are a vital part of our heritage, testifying to the powerful and enduring links between cathedrals and the wider communities of which they are part.

The Designmuseum Denmark was founded in 1890 and is the country's national museum for design and handicrafts as well as the Archive for Danish Design and a graduate and research library. The museum has an extensive collection from the West, with a focus on Danish handicrafts and design, spanning from the beginning of our era to the present day. In addition, there are significant collections from East Asia, especially China and Japan. With around 300,000 visitors a year, the museum places a high priority on learning at all levels, with increasing interest, nationally and internationally, as it continues to innovate and contribute to the broad development of society.

The Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady and Saint John the Baptist in Kutná Hora – Sedlec, the convent church of the former oldest Cistercian abbey in Bohemia (est. 1142), has been recorded in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1995.This beautifully illustrated book tells the story of almost 900 years of history of this remarkable place, which experienced days of glory as well as dark periods of war and plague. Today, people from all over the world come to admire the cathedral, whose current appearance was fundamentally influenced by the Baroque reconstruction performed by the brilliant architect Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel (1677–1723). The nearby Church of All Saints then receives even more attention thanks to its Ossuary which is decorated with unique skeletal ornaments. It is the only ossuary in the world where human remains have been used as design elements, and yet (or perhaps because of that), it carries a powerful message of memento mori.Whether you are interested in history, art, architecture or religion, the former Cistercian abbey of Kutná Hora – Sedlec has it all and much more.