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The Story of Art

3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 · rating details · 23,771 ratings · 175 reviews

The Story of Art, one of the most famous and popular books on art ever written, has been a world bestseller for over four decades. Attracted by the simplicity and clarity of his writing, readers of all ages and backgrounds have found in Professor Gombrich a true master, who combines knowledge and wisdom with a unique gift for communicating his deep love of the subject.For...more

Hardcover, 16th edition, 688 pages

Published April 9th 1995 by Phaidon Press (first published 1950)

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Dec 20, 2008 Vicky rated it 1 of 5 stars

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Jul 30, 2011 Rick rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

The Story of Art is a handy little survey of art history, primarily but not exclusively western art, from cave paintings and primitive sculptures to modern architecture and pop art. It is 500 pages of text and that many pages of well synchronized color plates in a smart pocket edition by Phaidon. Twenty-eight chapters, mostly quite brief, but each a skillful, thoughtful rippling of the surface, with hints of depth and well-defined currents moving quickly and sure footedly through the eras and ad...more

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Dec 23, 2010 Charlie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you don't know anything about art and wish you did, The Story of Art will help. It will ONLY help you to understand art according to a modernist, Western European narrative. If you want to critique art, this is a pretty important narrative to understand, due to its dominance in the field of art theory (I mean, as far as I know). Gombrich covers painting, sculpture, and architecture from pre-history to the mid-twentieth century. He explains what makes particular artists so important by placing...more

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Jun 09, 2010 AC rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: art

This book was perfect. For someone like myself who (now) has a little knowledge of Art (the capital letter here is deliberate) and some sense of history -- but who has big gaps and oceans of ignorance about the topic -- this book was perfect. It is mature, serious, to the point, absolutely free of jargon, sure, insightful -- always interesting, never pedantic -- and not eccentric in the least. Gombrich covers all the major artists and the movements they represent, and ties them together with cla...more

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Aug 20, 2009 Ryan rated it 5 of 5 stars

This well-composed book was a pleasure to read. And as far as introducing the history of art, it is exactly what I was looking for;beautifulphotographs,lucid descriptions, no jargon, nopretension. I recommend that you read the short preface and first chapter, and I bet that you won’t stop there.

The book’s 600 pages contain at least as many photographs, mostly of paintings, and about half of those figures are full-page (including a few fold-outs [ooh la la:]). The text is written simply – without...more This well-composed book was a pleasure to read. And as far as introducing the history of art, it is exactly what I was looking for; beautiful photographs, lucid descriptions, no jargon, no pretension. I recommend that you read the short preface and first chapter, and I bet that you won’t stop there.

The book’s 600 pages contain at least as many photographs, mostly of paintings, and about half of those figures are full-page (including a few fold-outs [ooh la la:]). The text is written simply – without jargon, footnotes, endnotes or appeal to authority. Mr. Gombrich’s restraint is impressive, since he obviously has a deep knowledge and personal appreciation for the topic. Instead of appealing to authority, he draws upon the art itself and universal human instincts to help the reader understand the artist and the art. For example, he explains the ancient Egyptian belief that images carry the soul, not by objectifying their primitive beliefs, but by suggesting an exercise by which the reader can discover that those feelings are commonplace within herself. He provokes (p. 40): “Suppose we take a picture of our favourite champion from today’s paper – would we enjoy taking a needle and poking out the eyes? Would we feel as indifferent about it as if we poked a hole anywhere else in the paper? I do not think so.” And so begins the dynamic struggle of emotion and reason that we follow through the history of art.

This book impresses as much by its layout and editing as by the text and pictures themselves. Each of the many chapters begins with an architectural example. Since the text wisely refrains from tangents into cultural history, the architecture serves a second purpose (besides exemplifying preserved art) of adding practical context to the timeline. Then, each chapter ends with a small picture showing an artist from that time period at work. These little pictures are the only ones not actually referred to in the text, and again add non-text context, while bringing the reader closer to the artists.
This approach succeeds in impressing the reader with the most important concepts in art history, since they are the ones that naturally recur throughout the story. The author frequently refers the reader to previous pictures (always giving the page number). Since the text is so brief, the reader, upon looking back at a previous picture, will also be reminded of the ideas expressed on that earlier page. Again, the author amplifies this learning effect by using consistent language and choosing pieces of art that will compliment each other.

This model only breaks down in the final two chapters, which were added to later additions, about our contemporary art. The author has some worthwhile ideas about this topic, but writes too much. We can guess why this happened, and it does not detract much from the rest of the book.

Finally, the backmatter contains a well-organized bibliography and timeline.

As you can tell, I recommend this book. Even if, unlike myself, you already have a good knowledge of art history, I predict that you will appreciate this book. You may just read it a little faster.(less)

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Jul 12, 2007 Namrirru rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: art

The title of this book should be "The Story of Western Art," because that is what 95% of this book is. Western Art. The "Primitive Art," "Looking Eastwards" and "Modernism" section are an insult and should have been left out of the text along with his random snide comments.

Othewise, this makes a nice commentary on Western Art. It's enthusiastic and reads like a "story."

5 likes · like · see review

Mar 18, 2013 Istanbul istanbul evden eve nakliyat rated it 5 of 5 stars

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Jun 06, 2012 Alison rated it 5 of 5 stars

LOVE this book. It's written for amatuer art lovers but is so in depth you come out feeling like an expert. It does a fantastic job of giving equal treatment to World Art, instead of focusing on Western Art, like most art history texts. There is also a fair balance between the sexes in the addmission of textile and craft arts. My favorite portion is the details regarding the Medicci and other great Italian families contributions to the advancement of style, technique and shear volume during the...more

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Aug 26, 2011 Marta G. Coloma rated it 4 of 5 stars

No es sólo un conjunto de ensayos, o un libro de estudio, o una obra de referencia precisa. También es el libro sobre la historia del arte más vendido de la historia. Por una sencilla razón: más que la historia académica ("history"), Gombrich la llama relato ("story"), pues adentra al lector en una apasionante sucesión del genio artístico a lo largo de los tiempos, con sus bajadas y subidas, idas y venidas, sequías y excelentes frutos. Una exquisita obra para coleccionar, revisar y recordar que...more

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Nov 11, 2009 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a thick and tremendously heavy book, but only physically heavy, and Gombrich is far from thick in his treatment of art down the ages. Read it lying face-down on the floor. Use it as a door-stop.

The reproductions are exquisite in colour and detail, and of course it can be dipped into at leisure and as the mood takes. The Italian Renaissance is comprehensively covered.

I wanted to buy this book several years ago but thought £25 was a bit steep, then found it last year on sale in Central Lon...more

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Oct 08, 2010 InMyHumbleOpinion:D rated it 4 of 5 stars

before the reveiw, a little pretext, i love art history, NPR and David Sedaris, so the fact the i read this book basically cover to cover isn't too surprising. it was clear and consise and had so many pictures (faomous and obsecure) i must have read the chapter on impressionism and post impressionism 40 times and the section and mannerism at least half that. but if your not interested, this won't read like fiction, or any kind of even remotely intersting text. to some its like reading the dicton...more

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May 18, 2013 Tam rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fic

Hm. What else can I say about this book? This is a classic and a good review can be found almost everywhere, and I'm not sure you want to read one from a newbie, art-lover like me.

The Story of Art is quite short (don't take into account its illustrions) and this is its very strength. Many will be disappointed for they won't be able to find some of the most prestigious masters featured. But the point is not to list names and works, but indeed to tell a story. And Gombrich tells a story fascinatin...more

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May 04, 2013 Nair rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the kind of book that must be taught in schools. Story of Art is a fascinating read for an art novice. Gombrich has done an excellent job in taking the reader through Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome , little of Middle East and the east and then ending to the bowl of art medieval and modern Europe. A wonderful journey through the beginning of "art" , sculptures ,architecture through the Roman period, the Gothic cathedrals , Art changing Renaissance period, the Baroque then the antithetic...more

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May 13, 2013 Jenevieve rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: school

This is the second time I've read it since it's a staple in our high school curriculum so I'm just copying my previous review here as it's just as true now as it was the first time I read it a few years ago. There was so much detail that I had forgotten that it was a joy to reread and I look forward to reading it again in a few more years.

I have to start out by saying that I enjoy looking at the masterpieces and have been known to go to art museums from time to time but had really no clue about...more

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Jan 29, 2012 Mina Villalobos rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, history

This is not a breezy book. Art, as I had always encountered it, was always rather stuffy and rather incomprehensible, and that was kind of okay? Like, I didn't mind not getting it because Art and I Were Just Not That Close. The funny thing is that this book seriously puts you *there* with art, it tells you all the context you need to know to not feel like art is something people bullshit you about with long-winded commentaries or that you look at a museum and say 'Yeeeep yep yep yep. A.. picture...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Michael Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: art, design, historical, my-favs, non-fiction, teaching, thought

I bought The Story of Art while about to leave Brugge, after a long week-end that was supremely friendly and quite artsy. I started reading this book as soon as I sat down in the train and was enchanted by it until the last page.

Gombrich's The Story of Art is a masterful story of the main works and styles of art, from 30,000 BC until the 20th century. (The 16th edition includes material from up to around the late 1980s, in terms of art critique, and early 1970s, in terms of artworks.) The book...more

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Sep 04, 2011 Beth Shapeero rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: art

The Storey of Art

E. M. Gombrich

I was attracted to this beautiful little book in Waterstones; its wafer thin, smooth bible pages, section of over 400 rich colour plates and stylish, minimal cover design. I was also feeling a pang of guilt for not shopping in bookshops anymore because Amazon is so easy and cheap. Walking through a bookstore, perusing books and judging them by there covers, is a real pleasure and one we will be denied access to as everybody shops online, I am pretty sure we will se...more The Storey of Art

E. M. Gombrich

I was attracted to this beautiful little book in Waterstones; its wafer thin, smooth bible pages, section of over 400 rich colour plates and stylish, minimal cover design. I was also feeling a pang of guilt for not shopping in bookshops anymore because Amazon is so easy and cheap. Walking through a bookstore, perusing books and judging them by there covers, is a real pleasure and one we will be denied access to as everybody shops online, I am pretty sure we will see high street bookshops closing down soon unless they can figure out a way to compete with Amazon.

So I bought The Storey of Art mainly because it’s so attractive but I also have a staggering lack of knowledge about art history - this looked like a good way to fill myself in. I read a quote recently that said if you read one hundred books on a subject you can call yourself an expert, it’s a bit daft but I have decided set myself a challenge; read 100 art books.

This one has taken me about three months to read so expertise feels like a distant dream. It took so long beacuse I wanted to concentrate and take it all in, this book covers the whole of art history from early cave painting to post-modernism, that’s a lot of useful information, also, it’s not just reading the words but taking the time to look carefully at each image and it’s not the sort of book you can read in the bath or in bed because you have to keep refering back to plates. Fortunatley it is extremely accesable, intriguiging and keenly observing making it very readable and a little pleasure to indulge in.

Being so ignorant of the subject, I loved that it took its time over periods and themes, referring back to them in the following chapters, revisiting artists and styles and giving in depth critical background to works such as stylistic influences and pressures on artists of different times. It strikes a perfect balence of being informative and comprehensive without becoming stifling; it is an insightful and rich overview. I am certain that I will actually be able to remember some of this information, I couldn’t have hoped for more from art book #1/100. So maybe walking into bookshops and judging books by their covers is a good strategy after all.(less)

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Nov 28, 2011 John David rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: art-and-art-history

Just a dozen or so pages into this book, I knew that it was one I wish I would have had access to when I was first seriously exposed to art. While in many respects, it is a conservative textbook (being first published in 1950), it is fundamentally meant for someone who has little to no previous formal contact with art history. Of course, if you have some, this can make you seriously engage some of your previously held assumptions about what you like and why you like it, but I got the distinct im...more Just a dozen or so pages into this book, I knew that it was one I wish I would have had access to when I was first seriously exposed to art. While in many respects, it is a conservative textbook (being first published in 1950), it is fundamentally meant for someone who has little to no previous formal contact with art history. Of course, if you have some, this can make you seriously engage some of your previously held assumptions about what you like and why you like it, but I got the distinct impression while reading that it was meant to initiate a teenager – a teenager who very much reminded of me of myself – into a whole new world.

The inclusions and exclusions of certain artists are, of course, always arbitrary. However, Gombrich’s choices do not deviate too much from a standard art history text. What particularly drew me to the book was what I perceived to be its inordinate focus on medieval and especially Renaissance art. Of the twenty-eight chapters included in the book, about five mostly focus on Western medieval images (6 and 8-11). Another six chapters (13-18) focus on the art of the Western Renaissance. Most surveys of art history to which I had been previously exposed paid scant attention to medieval art and they sometimes did not give the Renaissance the space that I felt it deserved. There is no doubt the medieval and Renaissance art Gombrich’s pet periods here (and, admittedly, they’re mine, too.)

What makes it so special is that, instead of spending the first chapter in an abstract exercise of thinking about what “Art” is, he forces you over and over again to take the art on its own terms. While discussing the various visual perspectives painted by the artist of “The Garden of Nebamun,” he says: “To us reliefs and wall-paintings provide an extraordinarily vivid picture of life as it was lived in Egypt thousands of years ago. And yet, looking at them for the first time, one may find them rather bewildering. The reason is that the Egyptian painters had a very different way from ours of representing real life. Perhaps this is connected with the different purpose their paintings had to serve. What mattered most was not prettiness but completeness. It was the artists’ task to preserve everything as clearly and permanently as possible. So they did not set out to sketch nature as it appeared to them from any fortuitous angle” (p. 60). It is the occasional insight like this that makes the book most worthwhile for a neophyte. After all, how many of us have measured something we saw by the standards of our particular narrow time and place? He really drives home the point that thinking about art seriously means thinking about other perspectives (both literally and figuratively), other preoccupations, and other aesthetic modus operandi. This is a lesson that should be lost on none of us, about art, or about anything else.
(less)

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Aug 30, 2010 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2010

I thumbed through a much older (perhaps first) edition of this book when I was away from home and looking for something to read. I was immediately hooked by Gombrich's enthusiastic writing. When I returned home, I was extremely pleased to find that the latest edition was lavishly illustrated and updated to reflect more recent times.

In my opinion, the book is fabulously readable for two reasons: Every piece of art mentioned is shown in the book beside the text and the author avoids "pretentious...more

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Jan 04, 2009 Gina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Gombrich tells the story of art like a, well, storyteller. It's conversational tone keeps the reader engaged throughout the whole book. It's a perfect primer for someone about to take an art tour through Europe. No doubt this book is heavily biased toward Western Art so be warned that this is hardly the complete story of Art, if such a thing could ever be written. Major props as always to Phaidon for producing the most beautiful artbooks -- always the highest quality photo reproductions of art i...more

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Nov 28, 2008 thom rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

I agree with a lot of the other reviewers, that this should strictly be called the story of Western art, since there is little in there that's either from outside Europe or the US, and when there is, it's normally to illustrate the past of something that was American or European.

Still, up to and including the beginning of the 20th Century, it's a fascinating read, and contains a wonderful history that charts most of the major movements and gives a great overview of how different sections of west...more

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Mar 06, 2008 Micah rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone interested in art, history, and/or art history

I’m an art history fan. Didn’t study it in school, aside form a few personal interest courses... a personal regret. Grombrich’s book was a gift from a friend. I loved it the first time I read it, and I’m loving it as I read it again. It’s a great survey of art, from the primitive to the modern. It tracks the history of art chronologically and by regional influence.

The book appeals to my personal interest in understanding the history of art. Specifically, I’m interested in intersections of artist...more

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Feb 10, 2012 Rayray rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the best comprehensive art historical book that I have ever come across.
It's actually a book that you can read more for pleasure than for study, and I recommend it to anyone who is even remotely interested in painting, architecture or any artistic elements.
The photos are sharp.
I love how the author writes as if he were explaining it to the reader for the first time, but it does not feel elementary in any way.
I have learned much with very little effort - the best way to study!!

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Mar 25, 2013 gramakri rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is undoubtedly the best book I have read on art over the last two decades. It is one of the excellent examples of customer-centricity, where a learned academician has written a highly understandable, lucid and delightful book for the art newbies.
I would highly recommend this book to readers of all ages who want to develop a basic appreciation of art.
Read more about this book at
http://bookwormsrecos.blogspot.in/201...

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Jul 19, 2012 Claudia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-spanish

Gombrich, yo soy tu fan, pero este pedazo de manual nunca fue La Historia del Arte.
Dicho sea esto, te lucís como el mejor sintetizador de la visión europea del arte en 1950. Quien quiera entender los movimientos posmodernos (su suceso entre los críticos y coleccionistas; la falta de interés en y de la sociedad civil), encontrará en Ernst un interlocutor bien formado y característico de la época.

Gombrich love

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Dec 21, 2012 Bernie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: the-story-of-art

I thought this was an excellent art book. It covered almost everything from prehistoric to modern day art and different cultures around the world. The best thing about this book was that it only went into depth on art and architecture that was illastrated with pictures or diagrams. It only referred to works that were not shown.
The only fault I found with it, was that it could have maps to show where countries that do not exist anymore were like in The History of Art by Sir Lawrence Gowing. Apar...more

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Jul 21, 2012 Yael is currently reading it

Shelves: en-francais, art

I keep it as reference book although things are missing, for example symbolism in painting (not even a mention of Klimt!) or eclectism in architecture (I was trying to understand the difference between Art Nouveau, Art Moderne and Eclectism).
I don't like the start of the book, where the author tries to explain that even if the painter shows something that looks ugly, it is art...

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May 21, 2012 Artemis Eclectica rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ex-libris

Having studied art history for no less than eight years, I humbly feel able to judge a book such as this; having vast experience of art books and plowing through a few.
I found this refreshing. Gombrich has profound scholarship which is lightly dispensed. No didactic cant here, just pure generosity in sharing.
The plates are very good quality, so good that the reproduction of Mona Lisa (which I have never seen in the flesh) allowed me to analyse it in detail, whereupon I have come to the conclusio...more

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Jan 27, 2011 Michelle marked it as to-read

Shelves: ann-voskamp, history, non-fiction, chapter-books-ya, recommended-other

Rec. by Ann Voskamp, uses with her kids. Also recommended on another blog " Told in an effortless and personal tone, Gombrich creates a sense of accessibility and ease often lacking in books on art, as if he was conversing with a friend, not educating the masses. It is rare that a book charged with such an undertaking as telling the story of art could be so easy to read and understand, and yet it is. This truly is a book that, as artist Bridget Riley put it, is "written with love and scholarship...more

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Mar 18, 2009 Uaba rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: artists, architects, designers

Shelves: architecture, art, classical, history, urbanism

This is the most complete book about The History of Art. It talks about all kinds of artistic expressions and it's organized by period of time. It contains a lot of pictures of famous paintings, sculptures, buildings, of anything related to art. It was the first book I bought when I entered architecture graduation college. It helped me a lot.

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