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Published: 30th July 2012

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Modernism in the visual arts has been defined as a liberation from the classical inheritance. The excitement of modern art is often seen to lie in its radical break with the past. But according to one standard narrative, the modern discipline of art history began only with a study of ancient art and sculpture. Johann Joachim Winckelmann's "History of the Art of Antiquity", first published in 1764, set the precedent for the historical study of the visual arts, and is still the dominant method in art history today. The modern study of art and the making of modern art thus appear to be founded on incompatible principles: the one on the centrality of ancient art; the other on its utter repudiation. Elizabeth Prettejohn's important and revisionist new book starts from an opposite premise: that the modern study of ancient art and the making of modern art are inextricably intertwined. Subjecting Winckelmann's ideas to astute yet sympathetic critique, the author uses exciting theories of reception to construct a new theory of the relationship between ancient and modern art. Relating seminal ancient artefacts (such as "Laocoon", "The Parthenon Marbles" and "Venus de Milo") to modern interpretations by the likes of Alma-Tadema, Leighton, Rodin and Picasso, "The Modernity of Ancient Sculpture" will have strong appeal to students of art history and classics alike.

Never less than persuasive, in the subtlety and accessibility of its visual or verbal analyses, the book includes revelatory ideas on almost every page.' - Jason Edwards, Reader in the History of Art, University of York 'This is a wonderful book. It commands, with enviable ease, both ancient and modern data, and moves seamlessly and to excellent effect between evocative description and theoretical criticism. This is a book which any graduate student starting to work on ancient art will in future have to read. It is fundamentally enlightening about the way in which sculpture has been studied - and about what it is to study sculpture. It is certainly a book that the exhibition-going public and the serious visitor to the British Museum (or indeed to English country houses with classical sculpture collections) ought to read as well. It manages to be repeatedly eye-opening.' - Robin Osborne, Professor of Ancient History, University of Cambridge

ISBN: 9781848859036
ISBN-10: 1848859031
Series: New Directions in Classics Series
Audience: Tertiary; University or College
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Number Of Pages: 288
Published: 30th July 2012
Dimensions (cm): 23.4 x 15.6  x 2.5
Weight (kg): 0.454