The Artistic Ape

by Desmond Morris

Desmond Morris, bestselling author and internationally renowned anthropologist, offers a unique appreciation of art from the most ancient artefact to contemporary event art. Featuring more than 350 illustrations of international art, plus 12 video clips, he combines his deep understanding of human behaviour and his love of art to create a narrative of the evolution of artistic endeavour over three million years.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Desmond John Morris (24 January 1928 - 19 April 2026) was an English zoologist, ethologist and surrealist painter, as well as a popular author in human sociobiology.
He is known for his 1967 book The Naked Ape, and for his television programmes such as Zoo Time.

After the death of his wife in 2018 he lived with his son and family in Ireland. Morris died in Naas, County Kildare, on 19 April 2026, at the age of 98.

abridged from Wikipedia

Reviews

[Roberta-Andreea]

This book was a gift from my former English teacher last summer, as I noticed in my class discussions my passion for art in general, with a penchant for writing poetry and painting. I was excited to see her, but time has not allowed me to browse her further. I loved it because it re-conceived my perspective on art.

[Stacey]

Read like a bunch of assumptions with no back-up.

[Chang]

比三部曲差的太远。内容多且杂，犹如万花筒，看完后什么也留不下。书正文字体应全部加粗，所谓金句都被挑出来加粗放大（是怕读者看着看着找不到重点？），显得很low