Birds: The Goldfinch, Birds, Art, and Us

Simon Schama explores our enduring fascination with birds in this visually stunning art book iconic images.

This book is centered on Carel Fabritius’s haunting The Goldfinch. Far more than a catalogue, this richly illustrated volume – curated with Simon Schama – explores the enduring human obsession with birds.

Through five evocative themes, the book reveals how birds mirror our desires, fears, and fantasies. From the dazzling creativity of Art by Birds – murmurations, intricate nests, courtship dances – to Stilled Flight, where birds are caged, chained, or hunted. Love Birds delves into flirtation, myth, and the erotic symbolism of birds in art. Poultry and Butchery considers how birds become food, while Obsessive Flight examines artistic longing through figures like Brancusi.

With historical depth and visual beauty, this book invites readers to rediscover birds not just as creatures of the sky, but as powerful symbols of the human condition.

This book accompanies the exhibition at the Mauritshuis, The Hague, from February 2026 onward. With text contributions by Simon Schama, Laura Cumming and Philip Hoare, amongst others.