I thought it might be helpful to share a list of art history and criticism books for those who are interested in the subject and don’t know where to start. I’ve read as many books as I could on the subject of Western art these last few years (in and outside of school) and the following include the books that I’ve enjoyed and learned from the most (and find myself frequently recommending):
Ways of Seeing by John Berger
Portraits: John Berger on Artists by John Berger
The Story of Art by E.H. Gombrich
Painting and Sculpture in Europe 1980-1940 by George Heard Hamilton
The Philosophy of Modern Art by Herbert Read
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by Walter Benjamin
Concerning the Spiritual in Art by Wassily Kandinsky
Lives of Artists (Volumes I & II) by Giorgio Vasari
Against Interpretation & Other Essays by Susan Sontag
Art as Therapy by Alain de Botton
History of Beauty by Umberto Eco
Art Through the Ages by Helen Gardner
Art Objects: Essays on Ecstasy & Effrontery by Jeanette Winterson
History of the Renaissance by Walter Pater
Z-Library is an online database that includes e-copies of over 4,000,000 books. If you’re unable to find any of the above mentioned at your local second-hand bookshop or are unable to afford the rather expensive cost of art books (the unfortunately high price of beautiful colour-printed pages), I recommend looking into this project!






















