Art is a gallery within a book and its crisp, dynamic layouts show and tell everything you need to know about art history around the globe. Created in collaboration with the biggest art library in the world, Bridgeman, Art has over 2,500 stunning superbly reproduced images of paintings, sculpture and installations from over 8,000 collections and 700 artists - more than any other popular art book on the market. Detailed input from specialist art historians at every stage has ensured that these fabulous images, the best picture choices for each topic, are accompanied by authoritative and fascinating analysis. Art uniquely explores the major milestones of art history, whether Western, Asian, African or North and South American art movements and artists, from prehistory cave paintings to contemporary sculpture, paintings and installations.

“Bridgeman are delighted to have collaborated with DK on this project. Utilising our expertise has helped to ensure an updated and accessible book on the global history of art, while also providing an important source of revenue to the numerous collections that we represent”. Harriet Bridgeman, Founder of the Bridgeman Art Library

Art begins with a short section on how to look at paintings and sculpture, explaining the simple steps of formal analysis which make art easy to ‘read’, such as composition, subject matter, technique and style, that swiftly become automatic and greatly increase and inform your enjoyment of art. The main part of the book is a 540-page chronological look at more than 700 artists. This section is subdivided into the main periods of art history, with introductions to each period or art movement, visual characteristics shown and important artists listed, explaining the key elements and influences of the time. With several paintings by each major artist, this section is a joy to dip into or study in more depth. Masterpieces are analysed in graphic detail as ‘Closer Looks’, helping you to understand the artist’s intentions, style, and method. Thematic gallery spreads are interspersed throughout the book exploring how different artists from different periods and places have approached common subjects, such as landscapes, still life, nudes, portraits, work, animals, love, children, war, and myths and legends.

With its picture-packed pages, visual analysis and DK’s stunning, market-leading design, Art brings a gallery of the world’s finest art into your very own home and is a must-have for every family bookshelf, school and library. Art is also an engaging, clear read, as absorbing for teenagers as for those revisiting ‘Old Master’ friends. Whether for the new enthusiast or those wishing to learn more, Art is one of the most attractive and accessible chronological catalogues of art history available.

Art has been compiled using a comprehensive team of experts and consultants, including Editorial Consultant Andrew Graham-Dixon (see biography below), Chief Consultant Ian Chilvers (17th and 18th-century art), and Consultants Dr Paul Taylor (Prehistory to 1400), Dr Maddalena Spagnolo (Renaissance art), Caroline Bugler (19th-century art), John Glaves-Smith (20th-century art), Dr Susan Aberth (Latin American art), Dr Julia Rosenbaum (American art), Dr Heather Elgood (Indian and Southeast Asian art), Elaine Buck (Chinese art), Meri Arichi (Japanese art), and Barbara Murray (African art).

Editorial Consultant Andrew Graham-Dixon is one of the leading art critics and presenters of arts television in the English-speaking world. He has presented 6 landmark series on art for the BBC, including the acclaimed A History of British Art, Renaissance and Art for Eternity, as well as numerous individual documentaries on art and artists. He has also authored books to accompany these series, as well as writing In the Picture: The Year through Art (2003), The Paper Museum (1996), and Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel (2008). For more than 20 years he has published a weekly column on art, first in The Independent and, more recently, in The Sunday Telegraph, and he has won many awards, including the Hawthornden Prize for writing about art twice and Arts Journalist of the Year three times in a row.