【Book Description】
Sanguine: Luc Tuymans on Baroque is a significant exhibition catalogue that reinterprets Baroque art through a contemporary lens. Curated by Belgian artist Luc Tuymans, the publication accompanies the exhibition of the same name held at Fondazione Prada in Milan. Departing from the conventional chronological approach of art history, the book instead constructs a dialogue across different periods, rethinking the continuity and transformation of the Baroque within today’s artistic context.
The volume brings together works ranging from 17th-century Baroque masters to contemporary artists, including Caravaggio and Peter Paul Rubens, alongside figures such as Bruce Nauman, Takashi Murakami, and Kerry James Marshall. Through this juxtaposition, readers come to see that Baroque is not merely a historical style, but an enduring visual and emotional structure that continues to shape contemporary art.
From a curatorial perspective, Tuymans approaches “the Baroque” as a mode of expression characterized by theatricality, dramatic use of light and shadow, sensory intensity, and symbolic representations of power—rather than as a style confined to a specific historical period. Through extensive imagery and visual comparisons, the book reveals how Baroque qualities re-emerge in contemporary practices, including the emotional manipulation of images, the tension within representations of the human body, and the visualization of political and historical narratives.
The publication features approximately 80 works across a range of media, including painting, sculpture, installation, and moving image. Accompanied by curatorial texts and scholarly essays, it functions not only as a record of the exhibition, but also as a critical reflection on modes of seeing and interpreting art history. Its layout emphasizes visual dialogue and conceptual connections, encouraging readers to actively construct cross-temporal interpretations rather than passively follow established classifications.
From a publishing perspective, this English-language hardcover volume comprises approximately 240 pages, richly illustrated with high-quality color reproductions. It holds both academic and collectible value. Compared to conventional books on Baroque art, Sanguine can be understood as a form of “curatorial publishing,” in which a contemporary artist reopens the question: why does this intense, dramatic, and emotionally charged visual language continue to shape the way we see today? As such, the book stands not only as an art historical contribution, but also as a compelling inquiry into contemporary perception and the politics of images.
【Details】
Author: Miuccia Prada (Editor), Luc Tuymans (Artist), etc.
Publisher: Fondazione Prada
Year: 2019
Dimensions: 28 × 21 cm
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 240 pages
