Robert Hughes - The Shock of the New: A History of Modern Art

Robert Hughes - The Shock of the New: The Hundred-Year History of Modern Art -- Its Rise, Its Dazzling Achievement, Its Fall (Knopf, 1991).

ISBN: 9780679728764 | 448 pages | EPUB


THE SHOCK OF THE NEW is a beautifully illustrated hundred-year history of modern art, from cubism to pop and avant-guard, and features more than 250 color photos. It was written to accompany the eight-part television series of the same name in 1980. Its combination of insight, wit and accessibility are still widely praised.

About the author: Robert Hughes (1938 - 2012) was an Australian-born art critic, writer, and producer of television documentaries. He was described by Robert Boynton of The New York Times as "the most famous art critic in the world." Known for his contentious critiques of art and artists, Hughes was generally conservative in his tastes, although he did not belong to a particular philosophical camp.


Reviews

"The author of The Fatal Shore and Time magazine's art critic here presents a greatly expanded version of a PBS television series on modern art, and includes some 270 color illustrations. Although he frequently deals in generalities, choice anecdotes, telling characterizations, and witty observations flow from his pen. . . Chapters bristle with apt insights." -- Publishers Weekly

"Agree or disagree, you will not be bored. Mr. Hughes has a disarming way of being provocative." -- John O'Connor, The New York Times