Art: Books

From the earliest cave paintings through to the internet and street art, this inspiring book chronicles the 100 most influential ideas that have shaped the world of art.

With the rapid and unprecedented global expansion of the art market, new collectors are emerging every day. When buying art, whether for pure enjoyment, for investment or some other motive, few art collectors consider the practical and financial implications of owning and maintaining art, and many do not have a plan for how they might eventually dispose of it. This book, probing a number of resources and incorporating advice from top experts in the field, offers guidance on collection management and care, and serves as an important reference guide for collectors and those charged with managing collections.

Provides a fascinating insight into the origins and significance of the work of Western artists and architects. It includes tightly-focused entries on: individual artists (eg Salvador Dali); art, architecture and design terminology (eg Gothic); countries and their cultural significance (eg Art in France); theoretical concepts (eg formalism); and mythological and religious subjects and symbols (eg Christ). There are also contextualized entries on important individual works of art (eg The Haywain).

Offers a spirited reassessment of art history's methods and terminology.

The perfect companion for the desk, studio, bedside table, or gallery visits, A Dictionary of Modern and Contemporary Art is an essential A-Z reference work for art students, artists, and art lovers.

Illustrated with both black and white and full-color photos, this A-Z encyclopedia covers every aspect of American folk art, encompassing not only painting, but also sculpture, basketry, ceramics, quilts, furniture, toys, beadwork, and more, including both famous and lesser-known genres.

The Oxford Dictionary of Art is the unrivalled one-volume guide to the art of the Western world. It provides a careful balance of fact and critical appraisal, ranging across painting, sculpture, and the graphic arts from classical times to the present.

An essential reference work embracing the vast vocabulary of art in all its forms. Contains over 2000 authoritative entries. Covers painting, sculpture, architecture, photography, the decorative, applied and graphic arts from all periods throughout the world up to the present day: there is even a table of the dynasties of Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, China, India and Japan.

Contains over 2,500 clear and concise entries on styles and movements, materials and techniques, and museums and galleries. It also includes biographical entries for artists, critics, collectors, dealers, and patrons, with places and full dates of birth and death (in many instances correcting misinformation that has found its way into other sources).

This reference work provides fascinating historical and current uses of materials and techniques in a wide range of areas from painting and sculpture to non-traditional media such as digital and video art.

The Oxford Companion to Western Art, written by over 100 distinguished art historians and specialists, provides in-depth coverage of Western Art with entries on artists and their works, styles and movements, art forms and art terms, combined with more modern methodologies, focused on patronage, taste, theory, and criticism, and the scientific examination of materials and techniques. Critical appreciation and factual information on over 1700 artists from classical times to the 20th century are included with 49 feature articles covering a broad spectrum of topics from art history and its methods to wall painting.