Review
In pages of trenchant prose, Hughes chronicles the art and architecture of Rome from the Emperor Augustus to Federico Fellini. This is quite an undertaking but Hughes is an entertaining, if at times highly opinionated critic (SPECTATOR)
in this Herculean undertaking, Hughes has captured much of the true spirit of Rome: the aspiration to great achievement despite obstacles, setbacks or failures (PROSPECT)
informative and entertaining (EVENING STANDARD)
If visiting Rome, you should certainly take this passionate, erudite bruiser's Baedeker with you - a superbly rich blend of history, art and travelogue (SUNDAY TIMES)
We enjoy reading Hughes precisely because he avoids an of that corseted coyness which characterises too much art history writing nowadays. Thankfully not having to worry about securing professional tenure at a university or gaining a coveted gallery curatorship, he can speak with the candour of a visceral enthusiasm, savaging mediocrity and rhapsodically defending excellence (LITERARY REVIEW)
His love and knowledge of the city stand forth (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH)
This authoratative and detailed cultural history of Rome is very readable despite being nearly 500 pages long...Robert Hughes loves to put forward his own opinions, which makes for a very personal view that is always entertaining (WE LOVE THIS BOOK)
A story that lasts almost 3,000 years and is pivotal to so much of Western civilisation requires a chronicler of well-nigh unattainable erudition, who can write with the skill needed to prevent readers from succumbing to a literary version of Stendhal syndrome. Mr Hughes, the Australian-born art critic of Time magazine, comes as near as anyone to fulfilling that job description and for much of this wide-ranging volume he succeeds magnificently (THE ECONOMIST)
A tour of the great city with a great guide: who could do this better? (David Sexton EVENING STANDARD)
The second half of the book is an engaging history of this wondrous city, very much in the tradition of The Shock of the New, packed full of sharp observation and trenchant one-liners, artfully and fearlessly told (Mary Beard THE GUARDIAN)
Hughes proves an entertaining and erudite guide. He is an impeccable raconteur, commanding, self-confident, witty (Alastair Sooke DAILY TELEGRAPH)
The art critic's superb cultural history is also an invaluable guide to the eternal city (SUNDAY TIMES)
Robert Hughes traces the Eternal City's history from Romulus and Remus, through the intrigues of the Empire and the Renaissance to the present day. A personal account of his relationship with the city, the book also considers Rome's place in global culture and its influence (spiritual and profane) on people around the world (THE TIMES)
Robert Hughes is that rarity, a boisterous yet unforgiving critic. When he is most engaged, ideas and instances tumble out of him in cornucopious profusion (Frederic Raphael THE OBSERVER)
the book's muscle and sinew lie in Hughes's supremely eloquent vingnettes of churches and palaces, statues and paintings - evocations of art and place crafted with all the swagger and savour of a critic who can make his readers see, and feel, afresh....He never disappoints (Boyd Tonkin THE INDEPENDENT)
No one can nail a painting like Hughes (Rachel Spence FINANCIAL TIMES)
this is the work of un maestro (Christopher Bray WORD)
his account of the art and architecture blazes, via exhilarating close-up encounters with Rome's masterworks (INDEPENDENT i)
To be sure, the city has a modern history too, and on this Hughes is predictably excellent. Anyone wanting a vivid account of how Futurism fed into Fascism, or a withering polemic on what Berlusconi has meant for the cultural health of contemporary Rome, need look no further (Tom Holland MAIL ON SUNDAY)
On the art, he's informative, insightful and entertaining (Tibor Fischer STANDPOINT)
And by all means, take this extraordinary and passionate guide with you (CATHOLIC HERALD)
In Rome, the ever-eloquent Robert Hughes merged a galloping overview into his forte of art criticism. He composed a richly textured portrait of a city we see, and feel, afresh. Each monument and artwork sparkles, scrubbed clean of tired cliches (Boyd Tonkin THE INDEPENDENT Christmas Books)
I would read Mr Hughes's book if I were going to Rome. I'd read it if I weren't going to Rome. You culd read it instead of going to Rome, though given the choice, I'd choose Rome. Reading the book is like being taken around the Eternal City on a long brisk march by an entertaining, erudite acquaintance with a gift for storytelling and the oddly rare ability to describe what something actually looks like. (Francine Prose INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE)
If you want an agreeable, general account of the Eternal City or need encouragement to embark on a visit, you can welcome it [the book]as a friendly and alluring companion (ARPLUS.COM)
The last two sections of the book,which deal with teh time after the War, offer as sensible an account of Italian painting and sculpture of that period as you are likely to get (Joseph Rykwert ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW)
Hughes was once well-known as the art critic of Time magazine and he's predictably delightful on works of art he loves: the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius on the Campidoglio, the Vatican frescoes of Raphael, the marble fantasias of Bernini. He's also an excellent hater. Confronting the flabbergasting monument to King Vittorio Emanuele II (begun 1884, completed 1935), he offers a list of its nicknames: the typewriter, the zuppa inglese, the wedding cake, the false teeth and (this one was news to me) the national urinal (Craig Seligman BUSINESS WEEK.COM)
This, so far, is my best read of the year (Michael Collins IRISH CATHOLIC)
Book Description
Prizewinning writer and critic's dazzling biography of the Eternal City.
About the Author
Robert Hughes (1938-2012) wrote for The Times, The Observer and the Daily Telegraph in London before moving to New York and becoming Time Magazine's art critic. He was also the bestselling author of 'The Fatal Shore' and the originator and narrator of the highly acclaimed TV series and book 'The Shock of the New'.
