Introductions to the History of Art

These books will give you a good, chronological introduction to different ‘periods’ in art history. Don’t feel you need to read every word, but having a good overview of the key themes and characteristics of art historical periods will be useful to you.

Pay close attention to the visual characteristics as well as the historical context of each period, as being able to talk about these and make comparisons will help you when it comes to discussing an unseen artwork if you are invited to a picture interview.  

• E. H. Gombrich, The Story of Art (2007) – good (albeit old fashioned!) introduction to art history from a largely western and ‘canonical’ perspective.

• Tony Godfrey, The Story of Contemporary Art (2020) – picks up where Gombrich leaves off and takes us right up to the present day.

• Robert Hughes, The Shock of the New: Art and a Century of Change (1991) – a deeper dive into the fascinating story of art of the 20th century. Brilliantly written and accompanied by a great BBC documentary series.

• John Fleming and Hugh Honour, A World History of Art (2009) – a comprehensive compendium of art-making from all over the world. The most inclusive and broad in scope of the above.

Theoretical approaches to History of Art

 Studying any subject at university level means bringing different ‘theoretical’ approaches to bear on it e.g. gender theory, social history, anthropology, psychoanalysis, postcolonial theory...

These books provide a good introduction to the key methodological approaches we might apply to a work of art. The texts can be quite overwhelming and complex, but reading the introductions and dipping into the topics that jump out at you will give you a good start:

• Eric Fernie, Art History and Its Methods: A Critical Anthology (1995)

• Anne D’Allev, Methods & Theories of Art History (2012)

• Donald Preziosi, The Art of Art History: A Critical Anthology (2009)

 NB: These texts all discuss similar topics so by no means feel you need to read all three!

Interesting perspectives on art

Short and sweet, these fascinating books by important art historical thinkers are great for getting you thinking differently about approaches to art and its study:

• Linda Nochlin, Women, Art, and Power and Other Essays (1988) – landmark essays on female artists and women in art history from a pioneering feminist art historian. 

• John Berger, Ways of Seeing (1972) – a unique, accessible and hugely influential book on the way we look at art. Vital reading!

• Edward Said, Orientalism (1978) – a hugely important postcolonial study of the history and nature of Western attitudes towards the ‘East’ (Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East) in art.

• Susan Sontag, On Photography (1977) and Regarding the Pain of Others (2003) – two fascinating critiques in which Sontag asks searing questions about the moral and aesthetic quandaries raised by the acts of taking, displaying and responding to photographic images.

• Grayson Perry, Playing to the Gallery (2014) – a witty and inclusive take on the contemporary art scene and the question of value in art.

Topical issues in Art History

 These are some of the key topics and debates art historians are thinking about at the moment:

• Decolonising the museum and reconstitution. Check out Alice Proctor’s new book ‘The Whole Picture’ for a powerful introduction to the problematic colonial histories of western museum culture.

• What is art? This is a broad question embracing everything from ‘material culture’ (objects of cultural and historical interest that were not designed or displayed as ‘artworks’), to contemporary art, to art in a digital age. Plenty of food for thought!

• Questioning the canon. The canon of art history has historically excluded women and people of colour, as well as many other groups. Think about why this might the case, how historians and museum curators can begin to rectify this, and what obstacles and challenges they might face. Linda Nochlin’s essay ‘Why Have Their Been No Great Woman Artists?’ is a fantastic introduction to some of the issues at hand.

• The value of art. What makes an artwork valuable? The market? Provenance? Quality? The Salvator Mundi case is a good one to look up with regard to these questions.