The Story of Art

The art historian Ernst Gombrich had experience with book production before The Story of Art; he collaborated with Ernst Kris on an unpublished book on the history of caricature and published his first book on the history of the world for children in 1936. That same year, Gombrich relocated to London from Vienna for a job synthesising the late Aby Warburg's notes for publication at the Warburg Institute. However, with the rise of the Second World War, Gombrich was sent to work as a broadcast translator at a BBC listening post in Evesham. Each chapter discusses a selection of works from the defined period, and all of the works discussed are accompanied by illustrations. More than half of the book's pages are devoted to colour photographs of paintings, drawings, architecture and sculptures. In the preface, Gombrich explains that it has been his intention not to mention any work of art that he could not also include as an illustration. == Style ==

The Story of Art is often described as a work that provides an accessible introduction to the subject of art history. == Reception ==

First published by Phaidon Press in 1950 and in its 16th edition as of 2022, The Story of Art has been a global bestseller with more than 8 million copies sold; it has been translated into more than 30 languages. The first two sentences of the book have become famous: "There really is no such thing as Art. There are only artists". Upon its release, The Story of Art was noted for its pedagogical potential despite Gombrich's intentions of producing a pleasure read for teenagers. In a 1989 review for Art Journal of the book’s 14th edition, the art history professor Bradford R. Collins criticised the work for its lack of depth in its discussion of contemporary art. with no women having been included in the first The Story of Art and just one included in the 16th edition. ==References==