Greatest Works of Art of Western Civilization

by Thomas Hoving

One early morning of an exceptionally beautiful day I got the idea of retracing every step of my life as an art expert--from 1951--and writing down the works of art that had bowled me over visually... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1885183534
• ISBN13: 9781885183538
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Artisan Publishers
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 4.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 11.5" x 11.4"

Customer Reviews

Very beautiful with very high quality reproductions

Thomas Hoving has put together a beautiful book that has extremely high production values. It is visually stunning. I enjoy looking at it over and over again. And his writing invites us to further consideration and continue our explorations of this art in other books. Art of many eras and styles is included so we can springboard from here into almost any branch of the Western artistic tradition. The book helps us expand our view and to explore beyond what we personally find familiar and comfortable. Books with superlatives in the title encourage us to disagree and to challenge. All the better! It forces us to look more deeply and to formulate why we believe this way or why our tastes run that way. By looking and considering our views more deeply we become better students and are better prepared to explore into new forms and unfamiliar modes.Some of the things in here I really love, some of I have seen in person, and some, like Rauschenberg's "Bed" I still dislike. Oh, well, my loss, I guess. But even in disliking it I am glad that I had it to consider and think about. I am better off for this and am grateful to Mr. Hoving.It really is a very beautiful book.

A coffee table book that won't stay on your coffee table.

This was one of my first introductions to art history. We had it in our house and I kept picking it up and reading it every now and then. Finally I took an art history course, but found it dry and pedantic compared this gem of a book. Hoving's commentaries on the world's greatest works of art are thoughtful and personal. He truly loves his subject and makes you do, too. Most of all, it makes you want to go to a museum!

Great selections, infectious enthusiasm

This is a lovely book. The selections (with the exception of perhaps two or three) would be heartily agreed upon by art lovers and experts alike. The illustrations are well printed, the colors of paintings come close to the originals, all in all excellent representations of these 100 canonical works. The commentary is absolutely superb, blending engaging factual information and lively interpretations with personal experience. Bravo! Only one minor glitch: the commentary on Tiepolo and the reproduction of one of his Würzburg frescoes do not match, the photo is of the Kaiser Hall not of the Great Stairway.

A fabulous gem -- like a jewel box

This is the only art book you'll ever have to own or read.

Great book!

This is a fresh, deep, controversial, excellent, thrilling book which perhaps will change the way you look at art forever. There's never been a book like it in history -- I think. The entire 50,000 years of art in Western Civilization has been searched for the best of the best works of art and the author -- one of the most seasoned connoisseurs of current times and the former director of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art -- has chosen 111 which constitute the pinnacles of art. You really don't have to read any other book about western civilization's art to find the greatest and most moving works in all history. See if you agree with the choices. Email the author about why he chose this, and this and this and why he DIDN'T. Hey I should know what I'm talking about, I'm the author. Tom Hoving