Book Art since 1900 Modernism · Anti-modernism · Postmodernism - Thames & Hudson

Revolutionary both in content and presentation, Art Since 1900 has been hailed as a groundbreaking study in the history of art. This extraordinary book, developed by some of the most influential art historians of our time, has been revised, expanded, and updated to include the latest achievements in scientific research and artistic practice. It provides the most comprehensive, critical history of 20th and 21st-century art ever published.

With a clear year-by-year structure, the authors present 130 articles, each focusing on a key event — such as the creation of a groundbreaking work, the publication of an important text, or the opening of a major exhibition — to inform countless stories of art from 1900 to the present day. All pivotal and transformative moments in modernism and postmodernism are thoroughly examined, along with frequent anti-modernist reactions proposing alternative visions. This third edition includes a new introduction on the impact of globalization, as well as essays on the development of Synthetic Cubism, early avant-garde film, Brazilian modernism, postmodernist architecture, Moscow conceptualism, queer art, South African photography, and the emergence of a new art museum. The flexible structure of the book and extensive references allow readers to chart their own course across the century and follow any of the many evolving narratives, whether it’s the history of a medium like painting, the development of art in a specific country, the influence of movements like Surrealism, or the appearance of stylistic or conceptual collections such as Abstract art or Minimalism. The text is illustrated with reproductions of nearly eight hundred canonical (and non-canonical) works of the century. The five-part introduction outlines the methodologies governing the discipline of art history, informing and enhancing the reader’s understanding of its current practice. Two roundtable discussions address some questions raised in previous decades and look to the future. Basic information about key events, places, and people is provided in boxes, while a glossary, full bibliography, and list of websites increase the reference value of this exceptional volume.

Thames & Hudson was founded in 1949 by Walter and Eva Neurath. Their greatest passion and mission was to create a “museum without walls” and to make the world of art and research accessible to a broad audience. To reflect international perspectives, the company’s name combined the rivers flowing through London and New York, represented in its logo by two dolphins symbolizing friendship and intelligence, one facing east, the other west, suggesting a connection between the Old World and the New.

Today, still an independent family-owned publisher, Thames & Hudson is one of the world’s leading publishers of illustrated books, with over 2,000 titles in print. It publishes high-quality books across all areas of visual creativity: fine arts (fine arts, applied arts, decorative arts, performing arts), architecture, design, photography, fashion, film, and music, as well as archaeology, history, and popular culture. The list of children’s books is also expanding. Headquartered in London with a sister company in New York and branches in Melbourne, Singapore, and Hong Kong. In Paris, another subsidiary, Interart, distributes English-language books in France.

History of the Thames & Hudson brand

Walter Neurath was born in Vienna in 1903. In 1938, he left his hometown — where he ran an art gallery and published illustrated books — for London. Initially, he worked as a production director at Adprint, a company founded by Viennese émigré Wolfgang Foges. Neurath and Foges developed an innovative concept now known as book packaging (or co-publishing), where ideas for books are developed, ordered, produced, and sold by publishers operating across different markets and languages to create large editions and thus reduce unit production costs. Neurath’s concept was the first of many innovations introduced to the publishing world through Thames & Hudson.

Of the ten titles published on the first Thames & Hudson list in 1950, *English Cathedrals*, with photographs by Martin Hürlimann, was the first and achieved the greatest success. The firm’s strong conviction from the very beginning regarding the longevity of books remained in print until 1971. In the first year of publication, Albert Einstein’s *Out of My Later Years* also appeared, an early indicator of the extensive program. As the list gradually expanded—growing from ten titles in 1950 to 144 in 1955—the company moved its offices from High Holborn and, in 1956, relocated to a Georgian townhouse at Bloomsbury Street 30, near Bedford Square, which became the epicenter of book publishing in London. The manufacturing facility remained at this address, eventually expanding to five buildings by 1999, when it returned to High Holborn.

In 1958, Thames & Hudson launched one of its most renowned series, *World of Art*, which became the foundation of a highly diverse list. Characterized by pocket-sized editions with black spines, the series expanded in just seven years to include 49 titles. Nearly 60 years later, the series boasts over 300 titles, which, according to Christopher Frayling, are “stained with paint copies” in every art school across the country.

Other significant series that added depth and prestige to the list include *Ancient People and Places*, edited by Glyn Daniel, who from the 1950s contributed to pioneering interest in archaeology, both in book form and television. Over 34 titles have been published in this series over 34 years. The large-format *Great Civilizations* series, published in 1961, included contributions from esteemed scholars such as Alan Bullock, Asa Briggs, Hugh Trevor-Roper, A. J. P. Taylor, and John Julius Norwich.
After building one of the most important publishing houses in Europe in less than two decades, Walter Neurath died in 1967 at the age of 63. Sculptor Henry Moore wrote that “his death was a loss to our cultural life.” Sir Herbert Read noted that Neurath “more than anyone else was responsible for the revolution in art publishing” and was “one of those rare entrepreneurs who successfully combine business acumen with idealism.” Eva Neurath became chairwoman. Walter’s son, Thomas, who joined the company in 1961 along with his sister Constance, became managing director; Constance later served as artistic director for several decades. Both Thomas and Constance remain on the Thames & Hudson board, as do Thomas’s daughters, Johanna and Susanna.

From producing the first commercial edition of *The Book of Kells* to the triumphant publication of the six-volume *Vincent van Gogh – Letters*, from technical innovations like “French folds” to the controversial documentation of graffiti art in *Subway Art*, Thames & Hudson has always been at the forefront, both culturally and in terms of production techniques.

The year 2016 marked an extraordinary new chapter for the company, announcing publishing partnerships with two of the world’s most important museums: British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum.

The world of art and scholarship remains at the heart of Thames & Hudson’s publishing program, which remains true to its core principle: providing a “museum without walls.”

Today, Thames & Hudson is a recognizable international brand, a symbol of British publishing. Its catalog includes thousands of incredible titles, many of which are prestigious collectible books.