She then staged a coup that ended with him being strangled with his own scarf in the halls of the palace, and herself crowned the Empress of Russia. Introduce art loves (and art lovers to be) to many undiscovered riches.A German princess who married a decadent and lazy Russian prince, Catherine mobilized support amongst the Russian nobles, playing off of her husband's increasing corruption and abuse of power. Of history, beautifully descriptive and always engaging, this work will Susan Jaques has produced an informative,Īccessible guide to the fascinating mosaic of America’s art musems. Annalyn Swan, Pulitzer prize-winning co-author of DE KOONING: An American Master What a wonderful book this is for art lovers of every stripe. Lovers of opulence will drool over Catherine’s lifestyle. Readers of biography, art history and collecting, Russian history, and 18th-century world history will enjoy this book. The Hermitage marked its 250th anniversary in 2014, and as Jaques shows, it stands as a fitting testimonial to its visionary founder.Īn absorbing account of a fascinating figure and her legacy The ambitious, German-born empress remains a rich source of material. Petersburg, as a shrewd investor in this considerate biography of the art-obsessed monarch.

Jaques portrays Catherine II of Russia, founder of the Hermitage Museum in St.

The author provides a unique perspective on the woman who 'transformed Russia from a northern backwater to global superpower.' An intriguing biography of a ruler whose ruthlessness encompassed art. Petersburg, and the magnificent architectural wonder the city became is largely her doing.Ī well-researched biography. Catherine also spearheaded the further expansion of St. She was a self-proclaimed 'glutton for art' and she would be responsible for the creation of the Hermitage, one of the largest museums in the world, second only to the Louvre. She felt that the best way to do this was through a ravenous acquisition of art, which Catherine often used as a form of diplomacy with other powers throughout Europe. Intelligent and determined, Catherine modeled herself off of her grandfather in-law, Peter the Great, and sought to further modernize and westernize Russia. She then staged a coup that ended with him being strangled with his own scarf in the halls of the palace, and she being crowned the Empress of Russia.

A German princess who married a decadent and lazy Russian prince, she mobilized support amongst the nobles, playing off of her husband's increasing corruption and abuse of power. This is an art-oriented biograph of the mighty Catherine the Great, who rose from seemingly innocuous beginnings.

The Empress of Art by Susan Jaques