Sculpture [Paperback]

SCULPTURE FROM ANTIQUITY TO THE PRESENT DAY is a huge and beautiful book published originally in four volumes, but here those volumes are compounded into one heavy but articulate book. The writing is varied yet for the most part not only informed but readable and the number of illustrations is overwhelming. Both in black and white and in color, they are sharp and color-corrected and accompany the writing with specificity.

The book is divided as follows: Part 1 - THE GREAT ART OF ANTIQUITY From the Eighth Century BC to the Fifth Century AD; Part 2 THE GREAT ART OF THE MIDDLE AGES From the Fifth Century to the Fifteenth Century; Part 3 THE GREAT TRADITION OF SCULPTURE From the Fifteenth Century to the Eighteenth Century; Part 4 THE ADVENTURE OF MODERN SCULPTURE In the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. Each period is examined with scholarly precision but at the same time the essayists are allowed subjective response, a factor that makes the reading more enjoyable.

For the artist and art lover who are looking for a fine reference book on Sculpture through the ages, this is a very fine work - and very affordable. One minor complaint: though Picture Credits are listed, there is no Index for the works in the book. If you are looking for a particular work to review you must know the era in which it was created and then work your way through that section until you happen on it. Were it not for this frustrating omission, this would definitely be a 5 star recommendation.

If you wanna be in for a shock, go to Amazon and search the word 'sculpture' under books. You will no doubt be surprised at the rather paltry selection of titles covering an art form that goes all the way back to primitive times. We were, which increased our appreciation of the newly reissued two-volume, 25th Anniversary edition boxed set from Taschen, "Sculpture: From the Renaissance to the Present Day."

Lead editors Georges Duby and Jean-Luc Daval, have assembled perhaps the most complete compendium of the entire history of the art, from antiquity to the radical outdoor structures of the modern art era and every significant movement in between.

Volume One presents the history of sculpture, primarily from the major movements of the Greeks, the Etruscans and the Roman world. An exceedingly thorough discussion covers hundreds of examples from each period encompassing small figures, large statues, architectural sculpture and both indoor and outdoor reliefs. The superb collections of museums from Italy to the acropolis are covered in fine detail as are the origins of movements that changed the history of the art in significantly definable ways.

Volume Two is the chronologically based book featuring the well defined eras of the Renaissance to Baroque to the Rococo period. The eras are filled with robust depictions and descriptions of figures ranging from the mythological (Lombardo) to the religious (Della Robbia, Bernini, etc.) to subsets like political figures (Napoleon to Kaiser Wilhelm) the allegories of water (Paris' famous Fountain de Trevi), busts, architectural facades and more. There is even coverage of more modern, post-war abstractions, assemblages and constructions - ranging from the cubism of Picasso to the mobiles of Alexander Calder; the outsized work of Claes Oldenberg to the rigid boxes of Donald Judd; the expansiveness of Christo to the high concept insanity of Jeff Koons.

In all, these two volumes represent the most expansive and detailed presentation of sculpture in modern book form. For the student, the casual or even the more serious observer, there is much to ponder for everyone.

I greatly enjoy classical and Renaissance sculpture, and I picked this set of books up on a whim - they are two handsome, thick, and heavy paperback volumes collected in a sturdy slipcase - and have been wildly impressed. This was a very inexpensive set of books, and I would normally expect to pay upwards of $75 or so for such a set as this, but it is beautifully produced, covering, over the two volumes, sculpture from the early classical period (read: ancient Greece) through the modern day. There is copious text, but the most important and impressive part of this book is its fantastic photographs, often in full color, of the works under description. I've never seen such a beautiful, complex and comprehensive array of sculpture collected in one book (or set of books) before. For anyone who appreciates good art, sculpture, or just enjoys a great and entertaining book to page through, this is certainly the set for them. You can't beat this price, and you certainly can't beat this quality. Don't miss this opportunity.