Beaux Arts Magazine's 15 Essential Art History Books
Beaux Arts Magazine has compiled a selection of 15 pivotal books on art history. This collection includes Ernst Gombrich's 'Histoire de l'art' (1950), Giorgio Vasari's 'Vies des artistes' (1550), and Wassily Kandinsky's 'Du Spirituel dans l'art' (1911). Notable works also feature Daniel Arasse's 'On n'y voit rien' (2003) and Nadeije Laneyrie-Dagen's 'Histoire de l'art pour tous' (2011). The list highlights Linda Nochlin's influential feminist essay 'Pourquoi n'y a-t-il pas eu de grands artistes femmes ?' (1971), alongside François Cheng's 'Vide et plein' (1991), and Michel Pastoureau and Dominique Simonnet's 'Le petit livre des couleurs' (2005), among others, including works by Charles Baudelaire, Walter Benjamin, and Paul Ardenne.
Key facts
- Beaux Arts Magazine compiled a list of 15 essential art history books.
- The list includes works by Ernst Gombrich, Daniel Arasse, Nadeije Laneyrie-Dagen, Giorgio Vasari, Wassily Kandinsky, Linda Nochlin, François Cheng, Michel Pastoureau, Charles Baudelaire, Walter Benjamin, Erwin Panofsky, Jacqueline Lichtenstein, Roland Barthes, John Dewey, and Paul Ardenne.
- Ernst Gombrich's 'Histoire de l'art' was first published in 1950 and is considered a student bible.
- Daniel Arasse's 'On n'y voit rien' (2003) is noted for its passionate and humorous approach.
- Giorgio Vasari's 'Vies des artistes' (1550) is the first general art history book, containing 200 biographies.
- Linda Nochlin's essay 'Pourquoi n'y a-t-il pas eu de grands artistes femmes ?' was first published in Art News in 1971.
- Walter Benjamin's essay 'L'œuvre d'art à l'époque de sa reproductibilité technique' was written in 1935 but published posthumously in 1955.
- Paul Ardenne's 'Un art écologique' (2018) discusses ecological art in the Anthropocene.
- The article also promotes books from Beaux Arts Éditions, including 'Les plus beaux textes sur l'art du XXe siècle' by Pierre Sterckx, 'La face cachée du marché de l'art' by Georgina Adam, and 'Comment devenir artiste' by Jerry Saltz.
Entities
Artists
- Ernst Gombrich
- Daniel Arasse
- Nadeije Laneyrie-Dagen
- Giorgio Vasari
- Wassily Kandinsky
- Linda Nochlin
- François Cheng
- Michel Pastoureau
- Dominique Simonnet
- Charles Baudelaire
- Walter Benjamin
- Erwin Panofsky
- Jacqueline Lichtenstein
- Roland Barthes
- John Dewey
- Paul Ardenne
- Pierre Sterckx
- Georgina Adam
- Jerry Saltz
- Rosa Bonheur
- Eugène Delacroix
- Ary Scheffer
- Tintoret
- Titien
- Brueghel
- Vélasquez
- Francesco del Cossa
- Cimabue
- Giotto
- Botticelli
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Michelangelo
- Rogier van der Weyden
- Ernst Cassirer
- Aby Warburg
Institutions
- Beaux Arts Magazine
- Beaux Arts Éditions
- Phaidon
- Folio
- Gallimard
- Hazan
- Grasset
- Thames & Hudson
- Seuil
- Points
- Le Livre de Poche
- Allia
- Flammarion
- Cahiers du cinéma
- La Muette
- Art News
Locations
- France
- Florence
- Italy
- China