Art: The Twentieth Century

by Flaminio Gualdoni

This book on the art of the twentieth century is published almost ten years after the end of the so-called “short century“―which, in terms of art, was anything but short―and is a valuable tool for reflection. The author has placed a series of works in sequence, accompanied by easy to understand critical commentary. With concise introductions devoted to every significant art movement and more than 400 color illustrations, this volume enables the reader to become familiar with the fascinating and complex world of contemporary art from futurism to pop-art, dada to conceptual. Presented are some of the most famous artists of the twentieth-century―from Arp to Brancusi, Bacon to Basquiat, Gris to Koons, Gaudi to Schnabel, Warhol to Grant Wood―and their greatest masterworks―never before have they been so accessible as they are in this format.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

560 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Flaminio Gualdoni è un critico d'arte, storico dell'arte e docente italiano.

Reviews

[N Y · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flip only. Not very detailed or comprehensive, but a nice sort of (un)pocketable handbook to have for a quick overview on the key artists and artworks of the century. From what I remember the book seems to focus more on paintings than the other mediums. I wish there were more photos to accompany the history and writing, and that it was better organised. But still a fine book, worthy enough to own since I got it for SGD$2 from a library sale!

(Honestly) kind of dry and boring at times but I don't blame it on the author... that's part of the job the book has to accomplish. ;)

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe since I read it early in the morning I’m missing something, but the book uses a lot of flowery language to say nothing. I got this book from the library to use aside my textbook for my History of Modern Art class and it does have some good quotes, but majority of the actual written text was saying nothing or was redundant. It is a good overview of eras of modern art for further research, but you’re not missing anything if you don’t read this and only look at the images. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯