Lives of the Great 20th-Century Artists

by Edward Lucie-Smith

Book Overview

105 artists are presented in lively short biographies, and each entry is illustrated with important works, self-portraits, and photographs. Clearly grouped according to style and era are modern and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0500237395
• ISBN13: 9780500237397
• Release Date: September 1999
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 4.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 8.4" x 11.4"

Customer Reviews

great book a pleasure to read

this large book is full of well written data on such a large number of artists. I found it a great help to know more about the lives & struggles of these artists. the price was super reasonable for this great book, which I like very much. thanks. today is 4-23-2023

where's Andy Wyeth?

I would have given the book five stars if, after having read through the entire book and encountered several rather obscure artists with whom I am not familiar, I had not suddenly realised that Andrew Wyeth was not even mentioned in the book. Why? He most certainly is twentieth century, and most certainly is an artist. Not even an obscure one. Bad enough that NC Wyeth only considered himself an illustrator of books and not a real artist; it is certainly reprehensible that his son, one of the greatest painters of any century, should be left out of a book which purports to chronicle the lives of the great twentieth century artists. This happens to be a very good book, a good overview of the various movements in art during the last century, but it has rather pointedly ignored a very fine and important artist whose enormous body of work should be at least be mentioned. And I won't even mention poor Norman Rockwell, who chronicled every day life in his own century much as the great artists of the past painted what was prosaic to them and very exotic to us. Maxfield Parrish was also ignored in this book. Not an artist, I guess, just an illustrator with the greatest understanding of light since Rembrandt. Oh, well. I feel much about this book as I do about "Great Poetry" collections which always manage to leave out that which I love the most. Everything, I guess, is a matter of opinion. If you know absolutely nothing about twentieth century art, this book will certainly give you a good introduction to the various artists and important movements. Perhaps the writer, Edward Lucie Smith, should have considered two or three volumes, in order to more completely cover this subject.

Is this a second edition?

How does this book differ from the book published by Rizzoli in 1986 titled Lives of the GreatTwentieth Century Artists.? I find it interesting that this is not marketed as a second or revised edition.