An illustrated book covering three centuries of French art from Boucher and Watteau to van Gogh, Picasso and Matisse on loan from the Hermitage and Pushkin Museum in the Soviet Union. The publication of the book coincides with an exhibition of the paintings at the National Gallery and traces the growing interest in French painting in Russia. It begins in the 18th century and culminates in the work of avant-garde collectors such as Serge Schukin and Ivan Morosov. Accompanying each painting is a caption by specialist Soviet curators.