A New History of Western Art: From Antiquity to the Present Day

A radical re-examination of 2,500 years of European art, deconstructing and demystifying its long history from ancient to present

How has art evolved from the pursuit of the ‘ideal’ human form to a black square on a white canvas? Why is a banana duct-taped to a wall worth more on the art market than a beautiful seventeenth-century landscape?

By taking art for what it actually is – a piece of stone or wood, a sheet of paper with some lines drawn on it, a painted canvas – this lively and accessible account shows how seemingly meaningless objects can be transformed into celebrated works of art. Breaking with conventional notions of artistic genius, Koenraad Jonckheere explores how stories and emotions give meaning to objects, and why changing historical circumstances result in such shifting opinions over time. Tracing its story from ancient times to present, A New History of Western Art reframes the evolution of European art and radically reshapes our understanding of art history.