Fantasy and Faith

Gustave Dore (1832-1883) is best known as one of the finest book illustrators of the nineteenth century, but he was also a painter and sculptor of international repute. His illustrated Bible, first published in 1865, has appeared in over 700 editions, and in its day was the most successful book in the world. Mentioned by Mark Twain, it influenced popular imagery from the films of Cecil B. DeMille to the illustrations of Edward Gorey. Religious subjects also feature in Dore's large-scale paintings as well as political commentaries on events of his time, genre scenes and dramatic landscapes that were particularly popular with noted American collectors. This beautifully illustrated book will situate Dore in the context of French nineteenth-century art, and focus on his major works. It accompanies the first ever retrospective of Dore's work in the United States, to be shown at the Dahesh Museum of Art, New York, opening in May 2005.