If you have ever stood in front of an artwork and wondered what you should be looking for, what it means, even whether or not it is any good, this compendium of over 650 artist profiles from early history to the present day is for you. Cleverly packaged in an embossed, palette-shaped slipcase, it defines every major art movement and school, exploring their characteristics, important members and key works both famous and lesser known. Author Robert Cumming is Professor of Art History at Boston University.