The Surprising, Shocking, and Sometimes Strange Story of 150 Years of Modern Art
270615: well it is not necessarily five, this fits it on favoritenonfiction, but as general, intelligent, not hermetic, not specialist, introduction to art history of the modern era. so the appreciation is on the same level as intro philosophical texts: this makes you want to read on, want to see the works. and of course, there are the limitations of the media. two-dimensional visual art mostly, in small plates, small images, some art more recent being conceptual, performance, multimedia, sculpture, but this requires much description, much that shows the work of art is already in the best form to express itself, and prose description only shows what is lost. i happen to like abstract expressionists, pop art, minimalism- and mirrors, lots of mirrors. biased to english contemporary work. written in accessible terms, biographical focusing, rather than just ideas, becoming narrative linkage of 'the story of modern art'... maybe you have to already have read, seen, heard arguments, of the works and artists noted... encouraging, open, fun. but then my idea of 'fun' is four hundred pages of art history, so caution is advised...