Biographical Encyclopedia of Artists (4 Volume Set) [Hardcover]

Lawrence Gowing (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up–This adaptation and update of the Encyclopedia of Visual Art (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1989) spans the lives of artists from ancient civilizations to the 21st century. The unsigned articles range in length from a single paragraph (Ando Hiroshige) to several pages with a brief bibliography (Vincent van Gogh). Basic biographical coverage is provided for painters, architects, sculptors, multimedia artists, vase painters, and masons; the longer pieces add descriptions of major works and significant contributions to the artists respective fields. The entries are informative, although brevity occasionally trumps accuracy, with sweeping statements somewhat misrepresenting the facts. Many of the bibliographies are current, but just as many end 20 to 40 years ago. While there is better coverage of Asian and South American talent than is usually found in comparable sources, African Americans are noticeably absent. Women are included in the shorter entries, e.g., Gentileschi family, Judy Chicago, Frida Kahlo, Maya Lin. A major strength of this set is the quantity of images–one to two per page, and a number that are full page. The color reproductions are generally quite strong, although some need updating (art from the Sistine Chapel is all pre-restoration, appearing faded and drab). Details in some of the black-and-white images are lost where the dark ink dominates. Nevertheless, there is much to enjoy, and the visuals play a vital role in the success of this set. The glossary is also illustrated, allowing for quick comprehension of artistic terms. Curiously, while the scope of the encyclopedia is wide-ranging, the time line of periods and major artists is Western, from the Romanesque Period to 2000. Libraries that cant afford the multivolume or online Grove Dictionary of Art (Macmillan, 2005) would find much of use here.–Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* This fine set is a companion to the Facts On File Encyclopedia of Art. Both sets are revisions of 1983 titles. That general editor Sir Lawrence Gowing died in 1991 should prove no more problematic than the fact that Helen Gardner and H. W. Janson, authors of classic and regularly updated art histories, died in 1946 and 1982, respectively.

Biographical Encyclopedia of Artists has been ably, if not thoroughly, updated since the 1983 edition. A quick count indicates 78 living artists in the new set (many of these also in the earlier edition), including Laurie Anderson, Christo, Jasper Johns, Sol LeWitt, Gerhard Richter, Richard Serra, Frank Stella, Antoni Tapies, Cy Twombly, and Andrew Wyeth. Among the living, the mix is about equally British (befitting the encyclopedia's British origins) and American, with a smaller contingent from the rest of the world. Most of the artists first made their mark in the 1960s or earlier, with architect Maya Lin (born 1959) one of extremely few, living or dead, born after 1950. Among the missing are the late Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, any of the Young British Artists such as Damien Hirst, or any photographer not equally or better known for works in other media. For contemporary artists or photographers, one should look elsewhere.

The strength of these volumes is in the clearly written, authoritative articles; handsome illustrations; and coverage of artists, from ancient Greece to the twentieth century, who have stood the test of time. Several pages and multiple illustrations are allotted to artists of the stature of Goya, Michelangelo, Picasso, Poussin, Rembrandt, van Gogh, and Velazquez. Hundreds of other painters, sculptors, and architects, as well as a smattering of illustrators, printmakers, designers, and critics, receive entries from a paragraph to a page or more. Dozens of Japanese and Chinese artists are included. Almost every page has one or two illustrations, roughly half in color. Further reading selections follow longer entries. A chronology of artists begins volume 1. Volume 4 concludes with a glossary (helpfully illustrated with line drawings) and an index of proper names (including capsule descriptions of lesser-known artists not mentioned in the main text).

Highly recommended, especially in combination with the companion set, for libraries serving readers at the high-school level and above. Craig Bunch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 800 pages
• Publisher: Facts on File (August 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816058032
• ISBN-13: 978-0816058037
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9.5 x 4.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,062,101 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)