[.ca] The 20th Century Art Book (ISBN 0714847984)

From Amazon.com:
One of the most complete representations of this century's art to hit the shelves in years, The 20th-Century Art Book offers 500 full-page reproductions, each by a different artist. No matter how famous, each artist has but one page, accompanied by a concise, informative block of text. Presented in alphabetical order, each artist, regardless of stature, is treated in exactly the same manner as the other 499 others in the book. Some images are delightfully complimented, others deeply agitated by the work that, by chance of the alphabet, happens to lie on the facing page.

its fantasticallybrilliant:
i like the book a lot it has nice pictures in it. My favouurite bit is the page on Lithctenstien because the colours are nice. I like the dotty bits as well. My mummy says that it helps me with my art when i draw pictures at school. i tryed to draw my muummy in dots and it looks really good. thankyou amazon because you have helped me and i had a lot of fun looking at the biook.

Visual treats:
A fine overview of 20th-century art. Intelligently organized (alphabetically), colorful & detailed. 500 artists are represented through excellent photos.

Not comprehensive:
The basis for selecting the artists for this book seems to be (1) the art editors' whim, and (2) Western-centric values and standards of what makes the art "important" in the 20th century. For example, there is NO entry for Saul Steinberg, whose work is probably one of the most recognizable of 20th century artists. Buy the book if your interest is a taste of what's out there. The book cannot be relied on as an objective and general, professional reference.

Great Overview of 20th Century Art:
One painting for each artist, headed by a short analysis of the work and references to other artists who may be connected by subject, style or medium.The paperback is great for reference but I much prefer the hc with its larger reproductions.

Excellent resource for 20th century art!:
Arranged alphabetically, which is very helpful. Sadly, it generally has but only one painting or photo for each artist, but then the intent here is to cover as many artists as possible, not to be comprehensive on any one artist, and it's quite heavy as it is already. The 20th Century Art Book is an EXCELLENT reference guide. How many times reading the Arts section of a newspaper, or an interview with an artist, etc., does one hear a reference to another artist and one has no idea who that person is? With this book, you can quickly check it out! I also very much appreciate the cross-linking - since it's alphabetical, and not by style or school of thought, the editors have listed on each artists's page other artists who are similar or somehow related to that one. I have found the cross-referencing to be very helpful many times. Unless one already has an encyclopedic knowledge of art of the 20th century, this is a PERFECT book for one's art library as a reference tool. And it's also a GREAT jumping off point for exploring artists: page through randomly, come across something interesting, then go and look for a book of that artist, or head to the museum "in search of." I treasure my copy, and would not ever wish to part with it.