Martin Schongauer. Le bel immortel

This richly illustrated catalog accompanies the landmark Louvre exhibition dedicated to Martin Schongauer, one of the most influential artists and printmakers of the late Middle Ages. Admired by his contemporaries and praised by Albrecht Dürer, Schongauer helped shape the visual language of Northern European art at the crossroads of Gothic tradition and the emerging Renaissance.

Bringing together paintings, engravings, drawings, and major altarpieces, the publication explores the extraordinary range of Schongauer’s artistic production. Religious imagery, fantastical motifs, animals, ornamental detail, and technical mastery all reveal an artist whose works circulated widely through printmaking and profoundly influenced generations of artists across Germany and the former Netherlands.

The catalog also highlights Schongauer’s role in the development of engraving as an artistic medium. His refined line work and innovative compositions transformed the circulation of images in Europe and contributed to his enduring reputation as “the beautiful immortal.” Featured works include his celebrated masterpiece The Virgin and the Rose Bush, alongside rare drawings and prints that demonstrate the sophistication and emotional intensity of his art.

Published by Skira Editore in association with the Louvre Museum, this French-language volume is an essential reference for collectors, scholars, and readers interested in late medieval and Northern Renaissance art.