A Biographical Dictionary of Artists

Offers brief profiles of hundreds of painters and sculptors

YA?Although concentrating on classic Western artists, this heavily illustrated collection of 1340 entries includes non-Western figures both ancient and modern. Concise biographical sketches summarize the individuals' styles and important works, assess their contributions to the arts, and provide basic biographical data. YAs will gain insight into the greats and near-greats in painting, sculpture, and architecture from the ancient Japanese to Western pop artists. Gowing includes more entries than are generally found in similar texts and art-history books.?Barbara Hawkins, Oakton High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Originally published in the U.S. in 1983 by Prentice-Hall, as volume 2 of the Encyclopedia of Visual Art, this work is little changed. Lawrence Gowing, the noted British art historian who died in 1991, is still cited as general editor. The entries were contributed by scholars at British museums and universities. Of the 88 contributors, only three are not associated with a British institution.

The dictionary is made up of alphabetically arranged entries ranging from 15^-20 lines to two pages for painters, architects, and sculptors from pre-Christian times to the present. Coverage is strongly Western, with some Asian artists included. Each artist's entry includes dates, training, career, influences on his or her work, and, for approximately one-third of the artists, a brief bibliography of further reading, almost all English-language sources. Most of the entries are augmented by good-quality color or black-and-white reproductions of art works.

Preceding the biographical entries are chronological charts showing lifespans of the artists of various national schools and indicating the time spans of art movements. Following the entries is an excellent glossary of visual-art terms illustrated by line drawings. An index of personal and geographic names concludes the work. Minor artists not entered in the main work are included in the index with a one-line identification.

This is a solid reference source that will have value for readers with little training in art. The clearly written entries are supported by the clarity of the chronological tables, the concision of the glossary, and the comprehensiveness of the name index. For libraries not owning the 1983 edition, the dictionary will be a helpful acquisition in public, high-school, and undergraduate libraries.