From School Library Journal
Grade 4-8-These large, attractive volumes are bright and colorful, featuring quality reproductions of artwork and black-and-white photographs of artists and important figures. In each, discussions center almost exclusively on European art and sculpture, with mentions of American regionalism and the Mexican muralists in the last volume. The chronological organization is somewhat limiting, especially for artists such as Pablo Picasso, who could be (and is) featured in all three volumes. The author admirably manages to stretch these bounds, especially in 1900-10, where the inclusion of late-19th-century art is essential to understanding what followed. Yet some choices for inclusion (such as the relatively obscure movement of vorticism) at the expense of others (the Ashcan school in America, only mentioned in regard to regionalism, in 1920-40, rather than in the first book, where it belongs chronologically) seem arbitrary. The short texts are broken into blocks, making them accessible, but some oversimplification does occur. Each book includes a time line that correlates artistic happenings to world and cultural events, a list of children's and adult titles (no publication dates), and (sometimes questionable) Web sites. Linda Bolton's "Art Revolutions" series (Peter Bedrick) provides a more useful organization for getting an overview of a movement. However, Gaff's titles are still valuable resources, especially enjoyable for browsers and to spark children's interest.
Robin L. Gibson, Perry County District Library, New Lexington, OH Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.