Selected Readings

These annotated publications have been recommended by the Education staff of The Metropolitan Museum of Art as useful resources for the general public, K–12 teachers, and college students.

print resources, bibliography, general reading, further reading, research, books


African Art	Byzantine Art	Greek and Roman Art	Photography

Ancient American Art	Colonial Art of the Americas	Islamic Art	Prehistory

Ancient Near Eastern Art	Costume	Modern and Contemporary Art	United States, Arts of

Arms and Armor	Egyptian Art	Musical Instruments

Asian Art	European Art	Oceania, Arts of	General Information

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Useful Links

Selected Readings

European Art in the Middle Ages

Barral i Altet, Xavier, ed. Art and Architecture of Spain. Boston: Little, Brown, 1998.
A comprehensive look at Spain from prehistoric times to the present. Well illustrated throughout. Includes maps, a comparative chronology, bibliography, and index.
Bowersock, G. W., et al., eds. Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical World. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press, 1999.
The eleven essays and more than 500 encyclopedic entries in this fascinating book present a comprehensive yet readable guide to late antiquity, from the years 250 to 800, a period that led to the formulation of many institutions and ideas that shape our current world. Includes an index, bibliographic references, and color illustrations.
Camille, Michael. Gothic Art: Glorious Visions. New York: Abrams, 1996.
This introduction and overview of the Gothic era elucidates the integral part that Gothic art played in the culture and society of the thirteenth and fourteenth century. Includes many illustrations, an index, and bibliography.
Cantor, Norman F. The Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages. New York: Viking, 1999.
This encyclopedic survey of the middle ages presents a broad overview of a wide geographic area in a complicated age. Very readable and copiously illustrated, the book can be read linearly or dipped into by alphabetic entry. Includes an index.
Cavallo, Adolfo Salvatore. Medieval Tapestries in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1993.
This extensive catalogue on medieval tapestries includes essays on the details of and techniques used in weaving wall and furniture coverings in Europe during the late Middle Ages. Entries include condition, description, source of design, manufacture and date information along with notes on related tapestries, exhibition and publication history. Includes a bibliography and index.
Coldstream, Nicola. Medieval Architecture. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
An interesting overview of medieval architecture, this book is a well-illustrated discussion of all aspects of the subject, including patrons and builders. Floor plans, patterns, drawings, numerous illustrations, maps, a timeline, a bibliography, and an index are useful additions to the text.
Duby, Georges. The Age of the Cathedrals: Art and Society, 980–1420. Translated by Eleanor Levieux and Barbara Thompson. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1981.
Duby's absorbing look at the culture and civilization of the Middle Ages focuses on the art and architecture of three institutions of medieval society—the monastery, the cathedral, and the palace. Includes illustrations and an index.
Duby, Georges. Art and Society in the Middle Ages.Malden, Mass.: Polity Press, 2000.
This condensed survey of the art and times of medieval Europe, fifth through fifteenth century, is an engrossing and readable study. Comparative chronologies of various areas of Europe, an index, and a bibliography enhance the text.
Gies, Joseph, and Frances Gies. Daily Life in Medieval Times: A Vivid, Detailed Account of Birth, Marriage, and Death; Food, Clothing, and Housing; Love and Labor, in the Middle Ages. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal, 1999.
This book details castle, village, and city life in England and France from the eleventh through thirteenth century. Includes many color illustrations, a bibliography, and index.
Hamilton, George Heard. The Art and Architecture of Russia. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998.
Covering 1,000 years of the history of art in Russia, west of the Urals, Hamilton's account of the architecture, painting, and sculpture of this vast area is a guide as well as a critical interpretation. Includes a bibliography and index.
Henisch, Bridget Ann. The Medieval Calendar Year. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1999.
This interpretation of calendar images is also a fascinating guide to many aspects of life during the Middle Ages in Europe. A detailed appendix provides a guide to understanding medieval months and dates. A bibliography and index are included.
Medieval Craftsmen Series. Armourers. Embroiderers. English Tilers. Glass Painters. Goldsmiths. Masons and Sculptors. Painters. Scribes and Illuminators. Buffalo, N.Y.: University of Toronto Press, 1991–92.
Each book in this appealing series is a readable introduction to the subject, with many illustrations. Includes a glossary, index, and bibliography.
Nees, Lawrence P. Early Medieval Art. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
Nees focuses on the visual arts of the early Middle Ages, demonstrating the continuity and tradition of artistic styles that gradually changed Roman art to the art of European culture. Includes a bibliography, index, and maps.
Pope-Hennessy, John Wyndham. An Introduction to Italian Sculpture. Vol. 1: Italian Gothic Sculpture. 4th ed. London: Phaidon, 1996.
The author, a preeminent scholar of Italian art, considered this series an introduction to a subject that continues to invite new interpretation. Each volume provides extensive notes, methodical indexing, and clear and detailed illustrations.
Sekules, Veronica. Medieval Art. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
An excellent, readable introduction to medieval art arranged by themes such as "A Sense of Place," "Artists," "Design and Devotion 1200–1500," "Image and Learning," "Art and War," and "Pleasures." Includes two maps, a timeline, bibliography, list of museums, Web sites, and index.

European Art in the Renaissance

Ainsworth, Maryan, and Keith Christiansen, eds. From Van Eyck to Bruegel: Early Netherlandish Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1998.
The brilliance of the Northern Renaissance is presented with examples from the Metropolitan Museum's extensive collection. This is a full catalogue of the Museum's Netherlandish paintings. Includes color illustrations, many with enlarged details, and extensive bibliography.
Andrews, Lew. Story and Space in Renaissance Art: The Rebirth of Continuous Narrative. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995.
Continuous narrative, the specialty of Renaissance art, in which several episodes of a story are shown in one space, is dissected and reinterpreted in this absorbing and lucid study. Includes black-and-white illustrations, a bibliography, and an index.
Andrews, Malcolm. Landscape and Western Art. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Andrews presents new meanings and interpretations of the representations of the natural world over the last 500 years. Includes bibliographic references and an index.
Bambach, Carmen C., et al. Leonardo da Vinci, Master Draftsman. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2003.
Written for the 2003 exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum, this 786-page catalogue with essays by scholars and curators, and many illustrations, is a masterful up-to-date look at the genius of Leonardo. Includes an extensive bibliography and index.
Barral i Altet, Xavier, ed. Art and Architecture of Spain. Boston: Little, Brown, 1998.
A comprehensive look at Spain from prehistoric times to the present. Well illustrated throughout. Includes maps, a comparative chronology, bibliography, and index.
Blunt, Anthony. Art and Architecture in France, 1500–1700. 5th ed. Revised by Richard Beresford. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999.
Blunt and Beresford provide an informative historical tour through two centuries of French art and architecture, with a final chapter covering the transition to the eighteenth century. A fascinating look at a handsome artistic heritage, readable and well illustrated. Includes an index and bibliography.
Brown, Jonathan. Painting in Spain, 1500–1700. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998.
A renowned scholar, Brown provides a thorough, intelligible, and copiously illustrated look at the golden age of Spanish art. Includes a bibliography and index.
Campbell, Thomas P., et al. Tapestry in the Renaissance: Art and Magnificence. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2002.
More than an exhibition catalogue, this work brings the grandeur of Netherlandish, French, and Italian Renaissance tapestry production into focus for a wide audience. Essays on historical and artistic aspects of tapestries reflect new scholarly advances. Includes an extensive bibliography and index.
Ceysson, Bernard, et al. Sculpture: The Great Tradition of Sculpture from the Fifteenth to the Eighteenth Century. New York: Skira/Rizzoli, 1987.
This book presents the greatest sculptures from the Renaissance to the Rococo period, most photographed in their original locations. The illustrations and commentaries provide a wonderful overview of the subject. Includes an index of artists.
Ebert-Schifferer, Sybille. Still Life: A History. Translated by Russell Stockman. New York: Abrams, 1999.
From ancient Rome to the twentieth century, the history of Western still-life painting is clearly presented, with stunning color illustrations. Includes bibliographical references and an index.
Gruber, Alain, et al. The History of Decorative Arts. Vol. 1: The Renaissance and Mannerism in Europe. Translated by John Goodman. New York: Abbeville Press, 1994–.
An all-encompassing, beautifully illustrated history of the decorative arts in Europe, from the late fifteenth century to the early twentieth. Extensively augmented by appendices, a glossary, bibliography, and index.
Hale, Robert Beverly. Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters. New York: Watson-Guptill, 1989.
Excellent detailed analyses of drawings by the great masters are accompanied by suggestions for students.
Hamilton, George Heard. The Art and Architecture of Russia. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998.
Covering 1,000 years of the history of art in Russia, west of the Urals, Hamilton's account of the architecture, painting, and sculpture of this vast area is a guide as well as a critical interpretation. Includes a bibliography and index.
Harbison, Craig. The Mirror of the Artist: Northern Renaissance Art in Its Historical Context. New York: Abrams, 1995.
Harbison's chronological introduction to the Northern Renaissance is a readable and well-illustrated foray into the art of this complex period.
Hartt, Frederick, and David G. Wilkins. History of Italian Renaissance Art: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture. 5th ed. New York: Abrams, 2003.
This new edition, which continues the focus on individual artists and their works, is augmented by patrons' portraits, excerpts from Renaissance documents, and greater emphasis on secular works. Includes a glossary, bibliography, and index.
Hults, Linda C. The Print in the Western World: An Introductory History. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1996.
This comprehensive chronicle balances historical context and connoisseurship in the study of Western printmaking. A glossary, bibliography, and bibliographic notes, more than 700 illustrations with location credits, and thorough indexing are a bonus to this already valuable text.
Landau, David, and Peter Parshall. The Renaissance Print, 1470–1550. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1994.
Printmaking came into its own as an art form in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century, radically changing the dissemination of knowledge. The authors' broad-based approach investigates all aspects of European printmaking during this consequential period. An appendix entitled "Currencies, Values and Wages," a bibliography, and an index enhance the text.
Pope-Hennessy, John Wyndham. An Introduction to Italian Sculpture. Vol. 2: Italian Renaissance Sculpture. 4th ed. London: Phaidon, 1996.
The author, a preeminent scholar of Italian art, considered this series an introduction to a subject that continues to invite new interpretation. Each volume provides extensive notes, methodical indexing, and clear and detailed illustrations.
________. An Introduction to Italian Sculpture. Vol. 3: Italian High Renaissance & Baroque Sculpture. 4th ed. London: Phaidon, 1996.
The author, a preeminent scholar of Italian art, considered this series an introduction to a subject that continues to invite new interpretation. Each volume provides extensive notes, methodical indexing, and clear and detailed illustrations.
Pyhrr, Stuart W., and José A. Godoy. Heroic Armor of the Italian Renaissance: Filippo Negroli and His Contemporaries. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1998.
This gorgeously illustrated catalogue of a 1998 exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum illuminates the design and construction of armor during the sixteenth century in Italy. Includes a bibliography and index.
Schneider, Norbert. The Art of the Portrait: Masterpieces of European Portrait-Painting, 1420–1670. Cologne: Taschen, 1994.
Schneider focuses on portraits from the fifteenth to the seventeenth century, when renewed interest in portraits of living people, dormant since the classical period, reemerged. Copiously illustrated, it features key works by famous artists.
Wundram, Manfred. Painting of the Renaissance. Edited by Ingo F. Walther. New York: Taschen, 1997.
Wundram has written an excellent introduction to the major painters and their works of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries in Italy, Spain, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Includes many color illustrations.
Zerner, Henri. Renaissance Art in France: The Invention of Classicism. Paris: Flammarion, 2003.
Professor Zerner has written an interesting and valuable book about the architecture, sculpture, painting, and decorative arts of sixteenth-century France. Includes many wonderful illustrations, a bibliography, and two indexes.

European Art in the Baroque and Rococo

Adams, Laurie Schneider. Key Monuments of the Baroque. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 2000.
Professor Schneider provides a concise examination of carefully selected works that epitomize the development of the European Baroque. A variety of illustrations, a glossary, bibliography, and index are included.
Barral i Altet, Xavier, ed. Art and Architecture of Spain. Boston: Little, Brown, 1998.
A comprehensive look at Spain from prehistoric times to the present. Well illustrated throughout. Includes maps, a comparative chronology, bibliography, and index.
Blunt, Anthony. Art and Architecture in France, 1500–1700. 5th ed. Revised by Richard Beresford. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999.
Blunt and Beresford provide an informative historical tour through two centuries of French art and architecture, with a final chapter covering the transition to the eighteenth century. A fascinating look at a handsome artistic heritage, readable and well illustrated. Includes an index and bibliography.
Boucher, Bruce. Italian Baroque Sculpture. New York: Thames & Hudson, 1998.
This illuminating and readable survey is a guidebook to the spectacular and dramatic world of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Italian sculpture. The many illustrations enhance the text. Includes bibliographic references and an index.
Brown, Jonathan. Painting in Spain, 1500–1700. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998.
A renowned scholar, Brown provides a thorough, intelligible, and copiously illustrated look at the golden age of Spanish art. Includes a bibliography and index.
Ceysson, Bernard, et al. Sculpture: The Great Tradition of Sculpture from the Fifteenth to the Eighteenth Century. New York: Skira/Rizzoli, 1987.
This book presents the greatest sculptures from the Renaissance to the Rococo period, most photographed in their original locations. The illustrations and commentaries provide a wonderful overview of the subject. Includes an index of artists.
Ebert-Schifferer, Sybille. Still Life: A History. Translated by Russell Stockman. New York: Abrams, 1999.
From ancient Rome to the twentieth century, the history of Western still-life painting is clearly presented, with stunning color illustrations. Includes bibliographical references and an index.
Gruber, Alain, et al. The History of Decorative Arts. Vol. 2: Classicism and the Baroque in Europe. Translated by John Goodman. New York: Abbeville Press, 1994–.
An all-encompassing, beautifully illustrated history of the decorative arts in Europe, from the late fifteenth century to the early twentieth. Extensively augmented by appendices, a glossary, bibliography, and index.
Hamilton, George Heard. The Art and Architecture of Russia. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998.
Covering 1,000 years of the history of art in Russia, west of the Urals, Hamilton's account of the architecture, painting, and sculpture of this vast area is a guide as well as a critical interpretation. Includes a bibliography and index.
Hults, Linda C. The Print in the Western World: An Introductory History. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1996.
This comprehensive chronicle balances historical context and connoisseurship in the study of Western printmaking. A glossary, bibliography, and bibliographic notes, more than 700 illustrations with location credits, and thorough indexing are a bonus to this already valuable text.
Levey, Michael. Painting and Sculpture in France, 1700–1789. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993.
In this interesting and well-illustrated survey, Levey provides a detailed look at eighteenth-century French art from its roots in the seventeenth century to the painting of Jacques-Louis David at century's end. Includes an index and bibliography.
Pope-Hennessy, John Wyndham. An Introduction to Italian Sculpture. Vol. 3: Italian High Renaissance & Baroque Sculpture. 4th ed. London: Phaidon, 1996.
The author, a preeminent scholar of Italian art, considered this series an introduction to a subject that continues to invite new interpretation. Each volume provides extensive notes, methodical indexing, and clear and detailed illustrations.
Prater, Andreas, and Hermann Bauer. Painting of the Baroque. Edited by Ingo F. Walther. Translated by Ishbel Flett and Gisela Parker. New York: Taschen, 1997.
Covering seventeenth-century Italy, France, England, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands, this is a solid introduction to major painters and their works. Includes many color illustrations.
Rosenberg, Jakob, and Seymour Slive. Dutch Painting, 1600–1800. Revised and expanded by Seymour Slive. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995.
A first-rate survey of Dutch painting during its golden age, 1600–1675, with a final section surveying the years 1675–1800. Includes many illustrations, an index, and bibliography.
Schneider, Norbert. The Art of the Portrait: Masterpieces of European Portrait-Painting, 1420–1670. Cologne: Taschen, 1994.
Schneider focuses on portraits from the fifteenth to the seventeenth century, when renewed interest in portraits of living people, dormant since the classical period, reemerged. Copiously illustrated, it features key works by famous artists.
Toman, Rolf, ed. Baroque: Architecture, Sculpture, Painting. Cologne: Könemann, 1998.
Toman encompasses historical, intellectual, and social background in this multifaceted view of Baroque culture that goes beyond the traditional visual or sensual approach. Includes a glossary with diagrams, indices of personal and place names, and a bibliography.
Vlieghe, Hans. Flemish Art and Architecture, 1585–1700. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998.
This superb study of the full range of Flemish art includes flower pieces and architectural drawings as well as samples of works by the most famous Flemish artists, such as Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck. Includes many illustrations, an index, and bibliographical references.
Wittkower, Rudolf.Art and Architecture in Italy, 1600–1750. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999.
This is the sixth edition of Professor Wittkower's sweeping examination of the Baroque style in Italy. As revised by Joseph Connors and Jennifer Montagu in a three-volume set, it continues to be a stimulating look at this astonishing and many-faceted phase of Italian art. The copious illustrations reveal the marvelous works created during these years. Includes a comprehensive index and a bibliography.

European Art in the Nineteenth Century

European Art in the Twentieth Century

Arnason, H. H. History of Modern Art: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Photography. Revised by Peter Kalb. 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2003.
This wide-ranging 832-page survey covers modern art from its origins to the twenty-first century. Includes many illustrations, an extensive bibliography, and an index.
Barral i Altet, Xavier, ed. Art and Architecture of Spain. Boston: Little, Brown, 1998.
A comprehensive look at Spain from prehistoric times to the present. Well illustrated throughout. Includes maps, a comparative chronology, bibliography, and index.
Causey, Andrew. Sculpture since 1945. Oxford History of Art. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
This book is an excellent account of the sculptors of the second half of the twentieth century and the vast array of works created following World War II. Includes many illustrations, bibliographic references, and an index.
Chilvers, Ian. A Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Art. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
This is an extremely useful guide to the people and subjects in the artistic mainstream of the twentieth century; includes artists, movements, publications, technical developments, and achievements in the world of art.
Cohen-Solal, Annie. Painting American: The Rise of American Artists, Paris 1867–New York 1948. Trans. with Laurie Hurwitz-Attias. New York: Knopf, 2001.
Professor Cohen-Solal's evocative account of the art worlds of Paris at the end of the nineteenth century and New York in the first half of the twentieth is a rich source of information on the artistic scene of both cities at that time and provides a wonderful journey through the lives and times of artists who have become household names. Includes illustrations, bibliographic references, and an index.
Colquhoun, Alan. Modern Architecture. Oxford History of Art. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
This book's chronologically arranged essays tell the fascinating story of Western architecture from the 1890s to the 1960s. Includes many illustrations, photographs, floor plans, and architectural drawings. Includes a bibliography, timeline, and index.
Hamilton, George Heard. Painting and Sculpture in Europe, 1880–1940. 6th ed. Pelican History of Art. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993.
This comprehensive overview of the art and artists who gave birth to modern art is essential to the study of the subject. Includes illustrations, a bibliography, and an index.
Hopkins, David. After Modern Art: 1945–2000. Oxford History of Art. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Situating the art in the political context of its time, Professor Hopkins examines art produced during the tumultuous second half of the twentieth century. Includes many illustrations, bibliographic references, a timeline, Web sites for further information, and an index.
Le Normand-Romain, Antoinette, et al. Sculpture: The Adventure of Modern Sculpture in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. New York: Skira/Rizzoli, 1986.
This is a noteworthy guide to the many styles and forms of modern Western sculpture. Includes wonderful illustrations and an index of artists.
Rosenblum, Naomi. A World History of Photography. 3d ed. New York: Abbeville Press, 1997.
Rosenblum provides a superbly illustrated panoramic look at photography as a cultural and historic record as well as an artistic medium. Some of the categories examined in depth are photojournalism, portraiture, advertising, and landscape. Includes a timeline, bibliographical references, and an index.
Ruhrberg, Karl, et al. Art of the 20th Century: Painting, Sculpture, New Media, Photography. New York: Taschen, 2000.
Copiously illustrated and succinctly written, this is a superb and comprehensive history of modern artists and their art from the Impressionists to the present. The 150-page lexicon of artists provides biographical and bibliographical information.
Sparke, Penny. A Century of Design: Design Pioneers of the 20th Century. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Barron's, 1998.
This beautifully illustrated survey of a diverse group of architects and designers who introduced creative innovations throughout the world is also a chronological history of design in the twentieth century. Includes a glossary, bibliography, information about manufacturers, museums with design collections, and an index.
Turner, Jane, ed. The Grove Dictionary of Art: From Expressionism to Post Modernism: Styles and Movements in 20th-Century Western Art. The Grove Art Series. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2000.
Students and scholars alike will find this comprehensive and well-written reference guide invaluable. Signed entries include bibliographies.
Varnedoe, Kirk. A Fine Disregard: What Makes Modern Art Modern. New York: Abrams, 1990.
Varnedoe's excellent, groundbreaking book introduces the pioneers of modern art and explains in a clear way the artistic innovations that revolutionized the art world. The illustrations were chosen with care and enhance the text. A must-read for anyone interested in the topic.

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