The Shock of the New
Book description
This legendary book has been universally hailed as the best, the most readable and the most provocative account of modern art ever written.
Through each of the thematic chapters Hughes keeps his story grounded in the history of the 20th century, demonstrating how modernism sought to describe the experience of…
Why read it?
2 authors picked The Shock of the New as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
This is probably the best, most exhilarating book about modern art I’ve ever read, written by one of the most erudite writers who ever lived. I read it when I was about 11 or 12, and it made me passionate about art and art history.
Hughes was such a good writer, and he made me want to get into writing myself. The BBC made a series based on the book.
From Jesse's list on books by Australian writers.
This book gave me the map to modern art I have long sought. Fair-minded in its judgments, rich in detail, and always lucid even in technical matters, Robert Hughes helped me understand what makes twentieth-century Western art so novel, even startling, while also showing its continuities with its European roots and its borrowings from other continents.
No other book did a better job of helping me appreciate the modern and the postmodern.
From John's list on overlooked books on the culture wars.
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