30,000 Years of Art (Hardcover)

~ Editors of Phaidon (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. This enormous, extraordinary collection brings together 1000 high-quality color illustrations, showcasing the evolution of creative arts over diverse cultures from prehistoric to modern times. Arranged chronologically, each piece is given its own page and a condensed summary of its provenance, key features and cultural context. Book-ended by a ritual "lion man" figurine from 28,000 B.C. found in a cave in southern Germany, and an as-yet-unfinished environmental sculpture by American artist James Turrell (materials: "Extinct volcano and light"), it also contains two time-lines, one covering major movements in the 13 cultures represented (Mesopotamia, Iran and the Arabian Peninsula; Anatolia and the Eastern Mediterranean; Egypt and Africa; Europe; North America; Central America and the Caribbean; South America; Oceania; Japan; Korea; China; Southeast Asia; and Central Asia) and another comprised of a 28 page horizontal index that sets each piece against major world events. A 10-page glossary and comprehensive index completes this invaluable resource. Ably capturing the ancient and insuppressible creative drive of the human spirit and the sweep of history, this is a book art-lovers and cultural anthropologists-scholars and laypeople alike-are guaranteed to cherish.
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Review

''The folks at Phaidon have come up with a subversive approach to art history: Rather than examining a particular country or era, they've decided to explore what was happening around the world at various points in time -- 30,000 years' worth of time, in fact.'' --BookPage

''This enormous, extraordinary collection brings together 1000 high-quality color illustrations, showcasing the evolution of creative arts over diverse cultures from prehistoric to modern times. Arranged chronologically, each piece is given its own page and a condensed summary of its provenance, key features and cultural context. Book-ended by a ritual ''lion man'' figurine from 28,000 B.C. found in a cave in southern Germany, and an as-yet-unfinished environmental sculpture by American artist James Turrell (materials: ''Extinct volcano and light''), it also contains two time-lines, one covering major movements in the 13 cultures represented (Mesopotamia, Iran and the Arabian Peninsula; Anatolia and the Eastern Mediterranean; Egypt and Africa; Europe; North America; Central America and the Caribbean; South America; Oceania; Japan; Korea; China; Southeast Asia; and Central Asia) and another comprised of a 28 page horizontal index that sets each piece against major world events. A 10-page glossary and comprehensive index completes this invaluable resource. Ably capturing the ancient and insuppressible creative drive of the human spirit and the sweep of history, this is a book art-lovers and cultural anthropologists scholars and laypeople alike are guaranteed to cherish.'' STARRED REVIEW. --Publishers Weekly

''This is the kind of book that can hook a 10-year-old for life or steer adults toward new territory.'' --The New York Times

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1072 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press Inc. (October 22, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714847895
• ISBN-13: 978-0714847894
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 12 x 2.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #23,153 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

84 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing work, November 23, 2007

By	Beverly M. Carl "Beverly Carl" (Santa Fe,New Mexico,US) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

With great cynicism, I bought this book at the Folk Art Museum in Santa Fe, NM where I am a docent. By arranging pieces from around the world according to time periods, a whole new perspective evolves. Very exciting to see what's happening in different places at different times around the globe. The images and their placement is first rate. Having recently returned from Papua New Guinea, I was especially interested in those pieces--they are stunning. Thank you Phaidon.

56 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent book, December 3, 2007

By	Howard Mcpherson (Cleveland, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I thought I was familiar with art history but nearly everything shown in this book was new to me. The book has a fair amount of art from the first 25000 years. The book covers a wide variety of art types and locations. It is not simply a review of European art but includes Asian, and some African, Oceanic, and Pre-Columbian art. The book does not have references so that following up on a piece of art will involve art dictionaries, monographs and the internet. MAGNIFICENT

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Look At Art History, December 12, 2007

By	Mike Ventura - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

I was surprised by the fine image quality and the concise, but informative text accompanying the images. I am actually reading this book as I would a novel. What makes it especially interesting is that it is in chronological order, so the reader can compare art from different regions that was made contemporaneously. Please note, I was NOT an art major and am surprised at how interesting I have found this book to be.