A Little History of Art

A thrilling journey through 100,000 years of art, from the first artworks ever made to art’s central role in culture today

Art can help us see the world differently or understand our place in it a little more clearly. It can move us emotionally, even if sometimes we cannot explain why. It is powerful stuff.

Roaming from Japan and India to South America and the Middle East, Charlotte Mullins showcases a host of overlooked artists, and celebrates art’s crucial place in our collective culture. This Little History introduces us to extraordinary anonymous creations such as the Terracotta Army, Renaissance masters like Donatello and Michelangelo, and modern trailblazers like Frida Kahlo, Barbara Hepworth and Yayoi Kusama.

Little Histories – Inspiring Guides for Curious Minds

MEDIA REVIEWS

“This lively volume is ideal for the precocious high-schooler, the lazy collegian . . . and any adult who wishes for greater mastery of the subject. . . . Mullins leav[es] readers with an expansive, no-regrets appreciation of art and the human story.”—Meghan Cox Gurdon, Wall Street Journal

“Author and art historian Charlotte Mullins aims to challenge the ‘myopic prioritisation of male Western art’ in earlier art history publications.”—Gareth Harris, Art Newspaper

“In A Little History of Art, the author, a former editor of Art Review and V&A Magazine, plays to her strengths, breathing life into each artwork she holds her microscope up. . . . Prepare to be whisked away on an extratemporal journey that spans 100,000 years of art in a mere forty chapters and discover a cornucopia of art within these pages.”—Saffron Swire, Reaction

“A crisp and informative narrative of art’s main trajectories and its leading figures. . . . [Mullins] packs in a surprising amount of material.”—Michael Prodger, Country Life

“Shows how art can help us see the world differently and understand our place within it, while fuelling our creativity.”—Arts Society Review “An energetic, illuminating and wonderful book.”—Edmund de Waal

“Brilliantly insightful. A fresh take on art history as we know it.”—Katy Hessel, host of The Great Women Artists Podcast