The original edition of this ambitious reference was published in hardcover in 1998, in two oversize volumes (10x13). This edition combines the two volumes into one; it's paperbound ("flexi-cover" the paper has a plastic coating), smaller (8x10, and affordable for art book buyers with shallower pockets none of whom should pass it by. The scope is half the work (originally the first volume) is devoted to painting; the other half to sculpture, new media, and photography. Chapters are arranged thematically, and each page displays several examples (in color) of work under discussion. The final section, a lexicon of artists, includes a small b&w photo of each artist, as well as biographical information and details of work, writings, and exhibitions. Ruhrberg and the three other authors are veteran art historians, curators, and writers, as is editor Walther. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Ingo F. Walther was born in Berlin in 1940 and studied medieval studies, literature, and art history in Frankfurt am Main and Munich. He has published numerous books on the art of the Middle Ages and of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Read half of it. Its got lots of pretty pictures, but hard to read and make sense of text if you are coming to art without any background. It like walking into a casual conversation about the cousins of the people in the village you just moved into.
Good for browsing during a weekend at the lake. Informative. A bit dense (lots of text and small photos), would have liked larger graphics. I wonder when there will be a tremendous e-book with the same coverage but larger graphics.
Art of the 20th Century Walther, Ingo F. (Editor) Ruhrberg, K., Schneckenburger, M. / Fricke, C., Honnef, K. Softcover, 2 vol. in a slipcase, 19.6 x 25.8 cm (7.7 x 10.2 in.), 840 pages $ 29.99
TASCHEN 25 - Special edition! "This is visual luxury – a work of book art in itself." -Entertainment Weekly, Los Angeles art
Well rounded introduction into 20th century art. Quality reprints and diverse selection of works. I wasn't expecting so much text, but the writing is informative and interesting. There are a few small typographical errors that can be distracting, but they don't detract from the overall quality of the work.
Uno de los mejores libros introductorios sobre arte del siglo XX. El primer tomo que trata sobre la pintura es bastante completo, el segundo libro cojea un poco, pero la información es la suficiente para entender la escultura y el arte de medios no tradicionales. El mayor problema para mí, es el tamaño de la letra, es pequeña
Zeer markant overzicht. Brengt orde in chaos en vertelt verhalen, dus essentie van kunst. Soms wat wollig en barok taalgebruik, maar dat doet niets af van de prima samenvatting van schilderkunst in de 20ste eeuw