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Adam Butler

Phaidon Press

The Art Book Hardcover – 1 Oct. 1994

by Susan Stirling (Author), Ian Chilvers (Designer)

4.6 376 ratings

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The Art Book
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Winner of the Illustrated Book of the Year award in 1994, The Art Book has been an outstanding success and has become a well-known landmark in the art book world. Now published in over 20 different languages and in mini, midi and hardback formats, it has received rave reviews from numerous newspapers and magazines and has made many appearances on the bestseller lists. Complemented by The 20th Century Art Book and The American Art Book, its unique approach brings art alive. An A-Z guide to 500 great painters and sculptors from medieval to modern times, it debunks art-historical classifications by throwing together brilliant examples of all periods, schools, visions and techniques. Each artist is represented by a full-page colour plate of a definitive work, accompanied by explanatory and illuminating information on the image and its creator. Glossaries of artistic movements and technical terms are included, making this a valuable work of reference as well as a feast for the eyes. By breaking with traditional classifications, The Art Book represents a fresh and original approach to art: an unparalleled visual sourcebook and a celebration of our rich and multi-faceted culture.

Print length

512 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Phaidon Press
Publication date

1 Oct. 1994
Dimensions

26.04 x 5.08 x 30.48 cm
ISBN-10

9780714829845
ISBN-13

978-0714829845
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Best Sellingin this set of products
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Hardcover
£24.75
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£40.48
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Susan Stirling
376
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£131.32

Product description

Review

"An anthology crackling with visual energy."―The Times

"A fat, fun volume."―Newsweek

"This season's most interesting and accessible reference book."―Harper's Bazaar

"Big, fun, well-designed guide to 500 favorite painters and sculptors."―Wall Street Journal

"A must for beginners and art critics alike - believe me!"―What's On

"The art book of the year."―Art and Craft Magazine

"Beautifully designed. Thoroughly cross-referenced, the book presents a fresh perspective and is fantastic value."―The Good Book Guide

"The Art Book which succeeded in bringing an enormously convoluted subject matter to a mass audience without... compromise."―The Inverness Courier

"The ultimate art bluffer's book has arrived."―Options

"It's an illuminating way of looking at art; and hard to put down!"―Leisure Painter

"This is the perfect book... Something which you can buy and never regret. Dip into it occasionally and you’ll emerge with a slight edge in Trivial Pursuit, but it can also take you by the hand and explain what can seem like a whole different world. Ten stars, or something."―Oxford Student

"As a visual source book, its first class and gives you a quick tour of art history without necessarily leaving your chair. If art is a new interest, it’s a great place to start but it will also be welcomed by regular gallery goers and students of art history."―Brisbane News

"It's so nicely executed that it's a pleasure to look at and flick through, and acts very well as a springboard to send you off to look for more of their work."―Mail on Sunday

"A new way of looking at art."―Yorkshire Evening Press

"Presents a fresh perspective for those new to the study of art."―The Good Book Guide

"As close to perfection as you'll get."―The Bookseller

"Brilliantly eccentric."―Marie Claire

About the Author

This compilation draws together the research and works of a broad selection of curators, critics, artists, and academics.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0714829846
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Phaidon Press (1 Oct. 1994)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 512 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780714829845
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0714829845
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 26.04 x 5.08 x 30.48 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 608,750 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 505 in Sculpture (Books)
- 1,486 in Decorative Arts
- 8,046 in Encyclopaedias (Books)

Customer reviews:
4.6 376 ratings

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Adam Butler
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Phaidon Press
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Phaidon Press is a global publisher of books on art, architecture, design, fashion, photography, and popular culture, as well as cookbooks, children's books, and travel books. The company is based in London and New York City, with additional offices in Paris and Berlin. With over 1,500 titles in print, Phaidon books are sold in over 100 countries and are printed in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Mandarin, and dozens of other languages. Since the publisher's founding in Vienna in 1923, Phaidon has sold more than 42 million books worldwide.
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Susan Stirling
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Claire Van Cleave
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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

376 global ratings

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Artylorn

Excellent book of art to the 1990s

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 February 2016

Verified Purchase

This excellent book is now a little out of date, as it was first published in the 1990s. However, it includes all the good stuff up till then in a highly informative and useful format... Alphabetical order of artist, a representative image for each with a brief bio and description, plus links to art movements and other related artists. Excellent glossaries of art terms and art movements.
I also have the paperback 'pocket' version of this book. I must say that comparing the two, there are some big differences in the reproduction colour in about 10% of the images, where the hardback version seems to be lacking a green/yellow channel. I've seen 3 copies of the hardback and they are all like it.
If your eyesight is good - buy the pocket version because the colour reproduction is more reliable. Alternatively, buy the updated version which I believe includes 21st C art, but is a lot more expensive.

2 people found this helpful

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Katie

The travelling informant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 September 2009

Verified Purchase

This book is absolutely brilliant! (And thats to say the least) It provides a small, but useful, description of the deeper elements to some of the paintings or background information on a particular artist. Its highly analytical, it tells you what gallery each of the paintings are in: which is useful as some gallery websites are not very informative as to the galleries content at all. I have carried it around with me since I brought it and it is still in excellent condition (I brought a used copy as well) which is perfect for travelling needs (and considering I brought it quite a while ago.) Some examples of its content:

-Domenichino 'the sacrifice of Issac'
-Balthus 'girl and cat'
-Salvidor Dali 'sleep'
-Pieter Claesz 'A vanitas still life'
-Sandro Botticelli 'Spring'
-Hugo Van Der Goes 'The fall of man'

Just to name a few of the artists inside the book. It also includes; photo art, sculpture and textile prints and not just famous paintings. Enjoy!

(Would also highly recommend for any art student who needs to demonstrate a good understanding and analysis of artist's work but unfortunately cannot afford or lives in an area far away from any gallery...I can relate!)

4 people found this helpful

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Lisa

Good for remember all the names.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 January 2016

Verified Purchase

Content: Good short summaries of a wide range of artists in alphabetical order. Each artist is introduced by a good quality photograph of one of their artworks. The only problem I had with the content was the selection of featured artworks. I would've preferred the most memorable paintings to be shown, when in fact it was rather random. Overall the descriptions were good and I think it'd really help second level students for their art history class to understand and remember specific artists work.
Form: Its quite easy to bring around due to its compact A5 size. I'd recommend to be careful when buying second hand copies, I received mine with the front cover tipped sown the centre. But if your a student like me, it's very affordable.

2 people found this helpful

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T. M. Curzon-Manners

Fascinating Information at Your Fingertips.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 February 2014

Verified Purchase

This book is chunky and choc full of information on every page. An easy A - Z reference with a painting by each artist on every page - 500 in all, it's a treat and a real feast for the eyes. It's small enough to transport but big enough to indulge the creative juices, just what I was looking for as a re-introduction to art and art history with a little more besides. A treasure trove and springboard not just for beginners but for those looking to broaden their artistic knowledge too.

Dither ye not. Buy it, you won't regret a penny.

2 people found this helpful

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More Books Please

Lovely little book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 December 2015

Verified Purchase

I've been meaning to get back into art recently and my art history knowledge is very rusty so I bought this to give myself an overview of the great artists. It is a lovely little book, very compact and easy to carry around. I keep it on my desk to flick through on my break. A lot of the paintings don't seem to be the ones that are widely regarded as the artists best work, but I don't mind that as it introduces me to other paintings by certain artists.

2 people found this helpful

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JosephJoshua21

The Art Book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 March 2014

Verified Purchase

The book did arrive within specified dates but would have been far happier if I could have paid more for a priority service & received sooner.The delivery was by courier which I hadn't expected and it was only by accident that anyone was at home to sign for it

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BromsgroveMum

Great taster/reference content but would be better if order was chronological/style not alphabetical.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 August 2014

Verified Purchase

Alphabetical list of many well known artists each with 1 example of their work and brief details of artist and picture. Good starter reference to give a flavour of everything and basic details of everyone. However, personally I'd have found it more useful to have the same content but in chronological/style order rather than alphabetical, so I could readily compare styles and see where my preference lies to then investigate that style in more detail elsewhere. Pocket sized book so easy to carry about.

One person found this helpful

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LouG

Good basic reference book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 December 2016

Verified Purchase

Bought as xmas present for niece doing history of art degree. Well received. Good basic reference book. Although very small.

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The Art Book Hardcover – 1 Oct. 1994

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About the authors

Adam Butler

Phaidon Press

Susan Stirling

Claire Van Cleave

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