Modern Art 1851-1929: Capitalism and Representation (Oxford History of Art) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "The history of modern art has generally been written as a loosely chronological sequence of movements, most of which were given their current names as..." (more)
Key Phrases: unmediated modernism, graphic traffic, ofmodern art, New York, First World War, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Richard R. Brettell's "Modern Art 1851-1929," is written with an almost manic verve and fluency and as enviable command of many a distant crevice in its panoramic subject matter. -- John Russell, The New York Times Book Review, December 5, 1999 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Uniquely valuable...a magisterial survey of the cultural, economic, and historical conditions in which modern art flourished."--Stephen Eisenman, Northwestern University
"Very refreshing and original....The visual range--Czech and Canadian, Finnish and French--wrenches our tired assumptions about pictorial modernism into vivid new perspectives."--Richard Thomson, Edinburgh University
"A history of modern art of the highest quality, informative and enthusiastic."--Francoise Cachin, Directeur des Musees de France
"Lushly illustrated and laced with insightful captions, the images showcase a large cross-section of masters, including many works from the former Eastern bloc never before seen.... This addition to the Oxford series brings a freshly chivalrous account of modern art."--Foreword
"Written with an almost manic verve and fluency and an enviable command of many distant crevice in its panoramic subject matter.... A reordering of the global potential of modern art."--John Russell, New York Times Book Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (July 22, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 019284220X
• ISBN-13: 978-0192842206
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #458,525 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I hope you dont have to buy this..., March 2, 2009

By	Carla S. Spadafora "Sofia" (Sioux City, Iowa, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This text was required for my class, and I dont think i would have bought it at all otherwise. This sort of material is not my thing, but that is not the reason Im giving it two stars. I want the world to know just how scatterbrained the text of this book is, and how utterly unenlightening it has been about the very subject it tries to teach. The entire book feels like the author is writing about inside jokes meant only to be understood by his fellow "modern art" critics. There are several places where i caught a distinct whiff of bias (and not supported by anything other than the author's statement:" Well, we all know why this art is s**t, so its not really worth discussing!" (summed up, of course. This author refuses to use any language a normal person could understand by just reading it once). I really, really hate how snotty this book is; this guy should seriously not be selling his books for this much money, or he should at least have someone do a much better editing job.

7 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book to Own, January 25, 2003

By	Ilania Abileah (Morin Heights, Quebec Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

One cannot own all the art books available but this one is close to being number one. The approach is refreshing, the text clear and interesting, the images fascinating, and include some paintings that I have not found in other books. However, as usual this book's cannon includes women artists, namely Mary Cassatt, Georgia O'Keefe and Imogen Cunningham but no mention of other important women artists, such as Paula Modersohn-Becker, who in my view should be included in any book about Modern Art.

2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Buy anything else. Skip this one., July 26, 2008

By	S. Kalman - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book was used as a text for a graduate class I took. The lecturer of my class was a student of Brettell's. I presume the relationship determined the choice of text, because this book is not a book to be chosen on merit. Editorial choices (including at least one image published upside down) do not help the author's lack of brilliance (to be kind). Buy anything else. Only if you have a 300-tome collection of books on modern art should you even consider this book--and then I know you'll want to use it to light your fireplace.