Книги по истории искусства

A fresh and unconventional approach to exploring 6,000 years of art history through 800 masterpieces from The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Featuring more than 800 artworks from the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, this groundbreaking book — organized by thematic keywords — draws upon The Met's online Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History — offering fresh, unconventional ways of engaging with visual culture.

Discover how artists see the world and inspire each other with common themes and sensibilities, materials and techniques. Flowers, for example, have been seen in art for millennia — from Tutankhamun to the Dutch Golden Age, from Van Gogh's still lifes to Georgia O'Keeffe's monumental close-ups. Seen side by side, Art = reveals new connections between artists of different times and places, offering a fresh perspective on beloved works.

Beyond the wealth of 1,000 illustrations arranged by theme, dive deeper into art history with 160 engaging and enlightening essays written by experts at the museum, to create your own personal tour through this unsurpassed collection.

A foldout, detachable timeline offering further perspective is also included.

About the Author: 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is one of the most important cultural institutions in the world and hosts more than six million visitors each year, with many millions more accessing its collection online. The museum's director Max Hollein contributes the foreword to Art =, while essays are written by the museum's curatorial staff and other art experts.

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- An innovative approach that offers an inclusive, 21st-century definition of what ‘art' equals
- A greater range of artworks from The Met's collection than is shown in any other ‘highlights' publication
- Authoritative texts written by experts, including many of The Met's world-renowned curatorial specialists
- Includes content drawn from the multi-award-winning Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
- Published to coincide with The Met's 150th-anniversary celebrations in 2020
- An essential reference book for everyone interested in fine art, archaeology, anthropology, fashion, design, and photography from around the world
- Beautiful package and ingenious design

Now available in a new format, this lavishly illustrated volume explores Art Deco art and design from its origin to its present day influences.

The Art Deco style is so recognizable and widespread that its original influence on the culture in which it emerged has been all but lost in the clutter of imitation. This book draws our attention back to the birth of Art Deco — a period between two devastating world wars when industrialization was flourishing, interest in archaeology was peaking, and movements such as Cubism, Constructivism, Futurism, and Modernism were turning the art world on its head. Brilliantly designed to reflect the style it celebrates, Art Deco is filled with hundreds of examples of painting, architecture, interiors, jewellery, crafts, furniture, and fashion.

Author Norbert Wolf traces the chronology of the Art Deco style by looking at the politics and culture of Europe in the 1920s and early 1930s, and the artistic movements that paralleled its popularity. He follows Art Deco’s influence in Europe and its immigration to the Americas and Asia. Most importantly, this wide-ranging volume looks beyond the era of Art Deco’s origination to the present day. Pointing to the numerous revivals and contemporary echoes in painting and even literature, this beautiful volume demonstrates that Art Deco is alive and well today — often in forms where we least expect it.

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The very first, beautifully illustrated guide to some of the most sought-after portable Art Deco design

In the 1920s and ’30s Art Deco-influenced everything from art and architecture, interiors and furnishings, automobiles and boats, to the small personal objects that are part of everyday life. The items in this thematically structured book demonstrate Deco style at its most alluring. They were then the height of fashion, and are highly prized collectibles today. They demonstrate an era of close cooperation between designers and manufacturers, who aimed to produce goods that were not only fit for purpose but also well made and beautiful.

This informative showcase of portable classics of avant-garde modern design from Britain, Europe (particularly France) and the United States will appeal both to collectors and to anyone with an interest in Deco style and the history of fashion, taste and design. It is the first book to bring together the small collectibles – from cigarette cases and lighters to powder compacts and cosmetics accessories, watches, jewellery, even cameras – that demonstrate the style, glamour and sophistication of the Jazz Age.

Now available in a new edition, this sumptuous volume explores key aspects of Art Nouveau — decorative arts, architecture, fashion, dance, advertising, and more — with an in-depth approach and stunning illustrations.

The Art Nouveau movement became an international phenomenon at the beginning of the twentieth century that ushered in the era of modernity in almost every aspect of cultural life. For decades critics have argued that Art Nouveau was not an artistic period in its own right, but an amalgam of artists and styles that served as a bridge between neoclassicism and modernism. In this comprehensive, authoritative, and copiously illustrated book, art historian Norbert Wolf explores Art Nouveau as a logical outgrowth of the historic forces in which it arose.

This book focuses on the movement's wide variety of applications and reclaims its prominence in the pantheon of modern art history. Chapters on aesthetics, spirituality, and the cult of beauty offer luminous examples of works by Mucha, Gaudí, Hoffmann, Klimt, Horta, Munch, and Tiffany, among many others. Wolf's text is both informed and accessible, providing an exciting narrative that brings the Art Nouveau movement into clear focus. Beautifully produced to appeal to a wide range of readers, this new edition gives one of the world's most popular styles the serious consideration it deserves.

About the Author:

Norbert Wolf is an art historian and author based in Munich. He has published several books with Prestel, including Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Impressionism, and "The Golden Age of Dutch and Flemish Painting", as well as monographs on Albrecht Dürer and Titian.

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The Art of Darkness is a visually rich sourcebook featuring eclectic artworks that have been inspired and informed by the morbid, melancholic and macabre.

Throughout history, artists have been obsessed with darkness – creating works that haunt and horrify, mesmerise and delight and play on our innermost fears. Gentileschi took revenge with paint in Judith Slaying Holofernes while Bosch depicted fearful visions of Hell that still beguile. Victorian Britain became strangely obsessed with the dead and in Norway Munch explored anxiety and fear in one of the most famous paintings in the world (The Scream, 1893). Today, the Chapman Brothers, Damien Hirst and Louise Bourgeois, as well as many lesser-known artists working in the margins, are still drawn to all that is macabre.

From Dreams & Nightmares to Matters of Mortality, Depravity & Destruction to Gods & Monsters – this book introduces sometimes disturbing and often beautiful artworks that indulge our greatest fears, uniting us as humans from century to century.

But, while these themes might scare us – can’t they also be heartening and beautiful? Exploring and examining the artworks with thoughtful and evocative text, S. Elizabeth offers insight into each artist’s influences and inspirations, asking what comfort can be found in facing our demons? Why are we tempted by fear and the grotesque? And what does this tell us about the human mind?

Of course, sometimes there is no good that can come from the sensibilities of darkness and the sickly shivers and sensations they evoke. These are uncomfortable feelings, and we must sit for a while with these shadows – from the safety of our armchairs.

Artists covered include Pablo Picasso, Georgia O'Keeffe, Francisco de Goya, Leonora Carrington, John Everett Millais, Tracey Emin, Vincent van Gogh, Barbara Hepworth, Paul Cezanne and Salvador Dalí, as well as scores more. With over 200 carefully curated artworks from across the centuries, The Art of Darkness examines all that is dark in a bid to haunt and hearten. 

This book is part of the Art in the Margins series, following up on The Art of the Occult, which investigates representations of the mystical, esoteric and occult in art from across different times and cultures.

About the Author:

S. Elizabeth (aka Mlle Ghoul) is a Florida-based writer specialising in art, the macabre and the supernatural. She is a staff writer at Haute Macabre and has written for Coilhouse, Dirge and the blog Death & the Maiden. S. Elizabeth was also the co-creator of The Occult Activity Book (vol 1 and 2) and runs two successful blogs: Ghoul Next Door (ghoulnextdoor.tumblr.com) and These Unquiet Things (unquietthings.com).

A visual feast of eclectic artwork informed and inspired by spiritual beliefs, magical techniques, mythology and otherworldly experiences.

Mystical beliefs and practices have existed for millennia, but why do we still chase the esoteric? From the beginning of human creativity itself, image-makers have been drawn to these unknown spheres and have created curious artworks that transcend time and place – but what is it that attracts artists to these magical realms?

From theosophy and kabbalah, to the zodiac and alchemy; spiritualism and ceremonial magic, to the elements and sacred geometry – The Art of the Occult introduces major occult themes and showcases the artists who have been influenced and led by them. Discover the symbolic and mythical images of the Pre-Raphaelites; the automatic drawing of Hilma af Klint and Madge Gill; Leonora Carrington's surrealist interpretation of myth, alchemy and kabbalah; and much more.

Featuring prominent, marginalised and little-known artists, The Art of the Occult crosses mystical spheres in a bid to inspire and delight. Divided into thematic chapters (The Cosmos, Higher Beings, Practitioners), the book acts as an entertaining introduction to the art of mysticism – with essays examining each practice and over 175 artworks to discover.

The art of the occult has always existed in the margins but inspired the masses, and this book will spark curiosity in all fans of magic, mysticism and the mysterious.

About the Author:

S. Elizabeth (aka Mlle Ghoul) is a Florida-based writer specialising in art, the macabre and the supernatural. She is a staff writer at Haute Macabre and has written for Coilhouse, Dirge and the blog Death & the Maiden. S. Elizabeth was also the co-creator of The Occult Activity Book (vol 1 and 2) and runs two successful blogs: Ghoul Next Door (ghoulnextdoor.tumblr.com) and These Unquiet Things (unquietthings.com).

Extraordinary reference book of over 80 famous painters, their lives, their loves, and their iconic paintings.

This art book includes insightful biographies of artists accompanied with remarkable reproductions of their famous artworks. Begin with the early Renaissance and follow art movements through the centuries to some of the most well-known artists alive today.

A gorgeous exploration of the defining people of the art world including pioneers such as Giotto and Jan van Eyck, the greats like Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael, and the visionaries like Frida Kahlo and Hokusai.
The large-format art book is overflowing with information and pictures of your favourite classics. The full-page prints are especially spectacular, allowing you to get the full effect of the work that inspired, defined, and encapsulated art movements.
Over 500 years of the craft is discussed, with the chapters organised by century starting with "Before 1500" and ending with "1945 - Present". Each chapter features the relevant painters of those years with its own directory. Read about the historical context of art movements in sections which include timelines and fact panels giving incredible insight into the art world, the past lives of artists and their visions and techniques.

Discover the unconventional stories of the artists' lives, including their influences, developments, friendships, loves, and rivalries. Read about the portraits that Holbein did for Henry VIII to play matchmaker, Caravaggio's astonishing reaction to a badly cooked artichoke, and the many romantic affairs of Picasso. Sometimes scandalous and often tumultuous, the lives of artists such as Raphael, Hogarth, van Gogh, O'Keeffe, Magritte, Warhol, and Kiefer are as interesting and captivating as their work.

The Artists Behind the Paint Brushes

A beautiful coffee table book that would make a lovely gift for those interested in art history, artist biographies or to browse the attractive reproductions of the famous artworks. Includes a foreword by Ross King who is the author of the bestselling Brunelleschi's Dome and Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, as well as the novels Ex-Libris and Domino.

- Over 80 biographies of the standout artists over the centuries since the early Renaissance.
- Beautiful reproductions of artworks that allow you to get up close to their brush strokes.
- Insight into historical art themes and movements that influenced the periods.

About the Author:

Andrew Graham Dixon is one of the leading art critics and presenters of arts television programmes in the English-speaking world. He has presented six landmark series on art for the BBC, including the acclaimed A History of British Art, Renaissance, and Art of Eternity, as well as numerous individual documentaries on art and artists. For more than 20 years, he has published a weekly column on art, first in the Independent and, more recently, in the Sunday Telegraph. He has written a number of books on subjects ranging from medieval painting and sculpture, to contemporary art.

Arts & Crafts: Masterpieces of Art is a celebration of the design movement that spread rapidly around the world at the end of the nineteenth century. 

Depicting both well-known and unusual artworks, textile patterns and decorations from this most fascinating of eras, this book provides a wealth of information about the lives and times of the designers, architects and artists who created them, from Voysey and Morris to Lindsay Butterfield.

The collaboration between the two artists, legends of the New York avant-garde, through more than a hundred of their joint works

In the spring of 2023, Fondation Louis Vuitton will be holding Basquiat x Warhol... Painting 4 hands, the most important exhibition ever devoted to the collaborative work of these two artists. The exhibition will feature more than 100 jointly signed paintings, in addition to individual works by Basquiat and Warhol, and works by other major artists (Keith Haring, Jenny Holzer, Kenny Scharf, etc.) in order to recreate the New York downtown art scene of the 1980s.

From 1984 to 1985, Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988) and Andy Warhol (1928–1987) jointly produced about 160 paintings, some of the largest in their respective careers. A genuine artistic dialogue of style and form had developed between them that dealt equally well with crucial issues such as the integration of the African-American community into the narrative of North America, a continent where Warhol was a major manufacturer of icons.

Published to accompany an exhibition at Fondation Louis Vuitton from 5 April to 28 August 2023

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The first book to celebrate the beautiful and provocative ways artists have represented, scrutinized and utilized the body over centuries.

Body of Art is the first book to explore the various ways the human body has been both an inspiration and a medium for artists over hundreds of thousands of years. Unprecedented in its scope, it examines the many different manifestations of the body in art, from Anthony Gormley and Maya Lin sculptures to eight-armed Hindu gods and ancient Greek reliefs, from feminist graphics and Warhol's empty electric chair to the blue-tinted complexion of Singer Sargent's Madame X. It is the most expansive examination of the human body in art, spanning western and non-western, ancient to contemporary, representative to abstract and conceptual.

Over 400 artists are featured in chapters that explore identity, beauty, religion, absent body, sex and gender, power, body's limits, abject body and bodies & space. Works range from 11,000 BC hand stencils in Argentine caves to videos and performances by contemporary artists such as Marina Abramovic, Joan Jonas and Bruce Nauman... Its fresh, accessible and dynamic voice brings to life the thrilling diversity of both classical and contemporary art through the prism of the body. More than simply a book of representations, this is an original and thought provoking look at the human body across time, cultures and media.

About the Author:

Body of Art is conceived and edited by Phaidon Editors. Phaidon is the premier global publisher of the creative arts with over 1,500 titles in print. We work with the world's most influential artists, chefs, writers and thinkers to produce innovative books on art, photography, design, architecture, fashion, food and travel, and illustrated books for children. Phaidon is headquartered in London and New York City.

A clear, concise and detailed analysis of the eclectic and beautiful visual and material culture of Catholicism.

Focusing on a carefully curated selection of Catholic art and artefacts, this book explains the meaning of the iconography and the mystic power of the faith's ritual objects. A wealth of often hidden symbols are identified and examined close up, building into a catalogue of key visual symbols for readers to use to interpret all Catholic visual and material culture.

The book is organized into three parts - Tenet, Locus and Spiritus - each containing three themed chapters. The first part introduces the centrepieces of the faith, explaining the symbolism in the artistic representation of the holy family, apostles and saints, and in stories from scripture. The second part examines places of worship, identifying the constituent parts of the cathedral and presenting evocative images of roadside shrines. The third part explores celebrations and traditions, including personal devotional tools and jewelry.

For each of the nine themed chapters, illustrated introductory text is followed by a spread-by-spread presentation of the key figures, the key stories and the key iconography relevant to each theme. Paintings and artefacts are examined in detail, identifying and explaining the symbolism and the stories depicted in each. As the book progresses, readers will build up knowledge of the entire Catholic visual code - the symbols that define Catholic practice, the attributes of the saints, the parts of the cathedral - allowing them to interpret Catholic imagery and objects wherever they find them and to understand the tenets, sites and rituals of the faith.

Contents List:

Introduction
Tenet
1. The Word
2. God’s Messengers
3. Administering the Faith
Locus
1. The Cathedral
2. The Home
3. Sacred Sites
Spiritus
1. Communities
2. The Individual
3. The Senses

About the Author:

Suzanna Ivanic is Lecturer in Early Modern European History and member of the Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies at the University of Kent. Her research focuses on lived religion and material and visual culture in Central Europe. Recent publications include articles on amulets, religious objects and the domestic sphere, and a book on Cosmos and Materiality in Early Modern Prague.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh was one of the most intriguing and influential artists of his time. 

Charles Rennie Mackintosh: Masterpieces of Art reveals a selection of some of his most important and popular works, from stained glass pieces and furniture through to architecture, at the same time giving an overview of his life and career. 

The introduction reveals his journey from early Symbolist watercolours and Japanese-influenced details to his influence on the Vienna Secession and crowning works of architecture such as the Glasgow School of Art. 

The informed text and beautiful images of key artworks give depth and fuller understanding to create a beautifully rich and enjoyable tribute to the father of the 'Glasgow Style'.

Symbols are all around us – some mysterious, some timeless, some arcane and some prosaic. But what are their origins? What does the infinity symbol really signify? Do you understand yin and yang? And why is the swastika really a good luck sign?
This enticing gift book explores the world of classic symbols and signs, revealing the deep meaning and often quirky history behind each one. From the ouroboros and the ankh to the menorah, caduceus and astrological signs, the book ranges widely across the world’s most recognised symbols.

With one symbol per page, accompanied by an explanation and history, and printed on high-quality paper with a special binding, Classic Symbols is a unique and attractive book that will appeal to a broad range of readers, both as a gift and as a source for tattoo designs and other creative projects.

About the Author:

Michael Kerrigan was educated at St. Edward’s College and University College, Oxford, England. He is the author of The History of Death, A Dark History: The Roman Emperors, Ancients In Their Own Words, World War II Plans That Never Happened, and American Presidents: A Dark History. He is a columnist, book reviewer, and feature writer for publications including the Scotsman and the Times Literary Supplement. Michael Kerrigan lives with his family in Edinburgh.

A groundbreaking, award-winning analysis of colour in Western culture, from the ancient Greeks to the late twentieth century by one of the most foremost authors on the subject.

What does the language of colour tell us? Where does one colour begin and another end? Is it a radiant visual stimulus, an intangible function of light, or a material substance to be moulded and arrayed? Colour is fundamental to art, yet so diverse that it has hardly ever been studied in a comprehensive way. Art historian John Gage considers every conceivable aspect of the subject in this groundbreaking analysis of colour in Western culture, from the ancient Greeks to the late twentieth century.

Gage describes the first theories of colour, articulated by Greek philosophers, and subsequent attempts by the Romans and their Renaissance disciples to organize it systematically or endow it with symbolic power. He unfolds its religious significance and its use in heraldry, as well as how Renaissance artists approached colour with the help of alchemists. He explores the analysis of the spectrum undertaken by Newton and continued in the nineteenth century by artists such as Seurat, traces the influence of Goethe's colour theory, and considers the extraordinary theories and practices that attempted to unite colour and music, or make colour into an entirely abstract language of its own.

The first-ever undertaking to suggest answers to many perennial questions about the role of colour in Western art and thought, this study throws fresh light on the hidden meanings of many familiar masterpieces.

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John Gage’s groundbreaking analysis of colour has been transforming our perceptions for more than three decades. Indispensable to anyone fascinated by art, psychology and history, this remarkable book considers every conceivable aspect of colour theory in Western culture.

From Roman symbolism to Bauhaus and beyond, this new edition, now featuring full colour illustrations throughout, will continue to serve as a pillar of visual arts scholarship.

About the Author:

John Gage was an acknowledged international authority on the history of art and colour, and wrote many books on the subject, including Colour and Meaning, Colour in Art and the award-winning Colour and Culture, all published by Thames & Hudson. He was Head of the Department of History of Art at Cambridge University from 1992 to 1995.

Visually stunning, entertaining and intriguing, this book explores humankind’s enduring curiosity about the animal world.Visually stunning, entertaining and intriguing, this book explores humankind’s enduring curiosity about the animal world.

The Camelopard, The Monstrous Pig, The Famous Porcupine, Dürer’s Rhinoceros: these are but a few of the beautiful and bizarre creatures that feature in this delightful book. In the visual arts of the fifteenth to the early nineteenth centuries in Europe, animals were understood in relation to the human world, whether as animals of the farm, estate or household, beasts of burden or as diversions in menageries and travelling shows. At the same time, rapidly increasing investigation of the natural world engaged artists in the problems of accurate representation: prints were particularly important in distributing natural historical information (or misinformation) across a wide, international audience. This beautifully illustrated book explores perceptions of the natural world as seen through the eyes of imaginative artists: works by Goya, Stubbs and Bewick stand alongside prints by lesser-known artists, each selected for its graphic strength, charm and narrative interest. Featured are natural history studies, masterpieces from the British Museum's exceptional collection of classical old master prints, book illustrations, satires and popular prints to beautifully capture the diversity and appeal of early modern print culture. Visually stunning, entertaining and intriguing, this book explores humankind’s enduring curiosity about the animal world.

About the Author:

Alison E. Wright is a curator of prints and drawings at the British Museum and curator of the Museum’s touring exhibition Curious beasts: animal prints from Dürer to Goya.