Roland Recht's 'Le Rhin' Explores Twenty Centuries of Art Along the Rhine

Roland Recht's book 'Le Rhin, vingt siècles d'art au cœur de l'Europe' offers a journey along the Rhine River, highlighting cathedrals, castles, and artworks at each stop. Inspired by his German publisher Albert Hirmer, Recht cites Braudel and Chastel in his introduction, cautioning against regional art schools. The book includes two general chapters: one on the river's geological history and travelers from medieval pilgrims to 19th-century English tourists, and another on art in the Rhineland from antiquity to the 19th century. The itinerary follows the Rhine from the Alpine section to the delta in Rotterdam, covering cities and monuments. Recht pays homage to architects of the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Düsseldorf and mentions Rem Koolhaas's Kunsthalle Rotterdam. The book concludes with Vermeer's 'View of Delft'.