
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Copiously illustrated, this provides a useful schema from which to learn about different periods of art, and a lot of information you can use for reference.
The edition that I read was pre-political correctness so that means a history of dead white guy artists. It would be better titled a History of Western Art, although it ends with an apologetic and half hearted nod to Asian art. (for a critical view, see The Guerrilla Girls' Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art)
Needless to say, whenever you cover such a large territory, you are bound to be forced to leave somebody out, and get slammed for your choices, so I won't belabor the point. Despite this, you can learn a great deal about the history of art, and the author is not entirely neutral in tone, which I consider a plus, as you can then assess the author's opinions yourself.
Despite Goodreads, which seems to be hallucinating, this book is not 150 pages, but 767 pages long.
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