Giovanni Antonio Canal (1697-1768), the painter extraordinaire of Venice who was known as Canaletto, is the subject of this exhibition catalog from a recent show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It brings together a wealth of paintings and drawings avidly collected in his day by the English aristocracy and, especially with regard to those assembled from the Royal Collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, generally unseen before in this country. The five short essays by noted authorities succeed in capturing many of the essentials of the artist, which are easily digested by the nonspecialist. The extensive catalog following the essays contains splendid color reproductions with descriptive text on each work covered. While the book may not change significantly what is known of Canaletto, it is the record of an important American museum show and of paintings that ought to be savored by a wide audience. A welcome addition to most art book collections. - Ellen Bates, New York Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
