The Marriage of Heaven and Hell: William Blake and his Contemporaries

This is the official catalogue of the exhibition held at the Museum of Fine Arts Budapest, dedicated to the visionary world of William Blake and the artistic circles that shaped his creative environment. The publication examines Blake’s radical approach to image making, poetry and spiritual philosophy, situating his illuminated books, prophetic works and experimental printmaking within the broader landscape of late eighteenth and early nineteenth century British art.

The catalogue brings together prints, drawings, watercolours and rare illustrated editions that illuminate the intellectual and artistic exchanges between Blake and his contemporaries. Essays by leading scholars explore the development of Romantic visual culture, the rise of personal mythology, the central role of imagination in artistic practice and the evolving reception of Blake’s work during his lifetime and in subsequent generations.

Richly illustrated and grounded in new research, the volume offers a comprehensive view of Blake’s creative universe and the artistic networks that contributed to the emergence of Romanticism. It serves as an essential resource for art historians, curators, collectors and readers interested in visionary art, printmaking and the cultural history of the period.